Maria Sharapova: Russian Superstar Will Complete Career Grand Slam in France

Maria Sharapova has both motivation and momentum on her side heading into the French Open, and both will lead her to Roland Garros glory.

A win in France would give Sharapova a career Grand Slam, for one. She's advanced to the tournament's semifinals twice, in 2007 and 2011, but has never been able to crack the tricky clay at Roland Garros.

Though only 25, Sharapova would already have quite the legacy if she could complete the career Grand Slam.

In the present, a win could potentially boost her to the top-overall ranking in the in the WTA, surpassing Victoria Azarenka. If she wins the tournament and Azarenka fails to make the final, Sharapova will be the new world's No. 1.

That would be a big deal, believe me—Sharapova hasn't been No. 1 since 2007 and saw her game seriously decline after she had shoulder surgery for a torn meniscus in 2008. Getting back the top ranking has been a goal of hers since (via Julien Pretot of Reuters):

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"I would love to have that again, because after I came back from my injury—I don't remember what my ranking was—but I thought to myself, well, when I was young I had the goal of being number one," Sharapova, who will start her campaign against Romania's Alexandra Cadantu, told a news conference after the French Open draw on Friday.

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Earlier this year, logic would have suggested that Sharapova would only stand a chance to win the French Open if Azarenka didn't make the final. Azarenka appeared to have her number, beating her in the finals of the Australian Open and BNP Paribas Open.

But Sharapova struck back in April, defeating Azarenka in the final of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.

She would follow that up with a title at the Italian Open, her second of the year, perhaps erasing doubts that she could perform at a top level on clay.

Frankly, on any surface Sharapova has been one of WTA Tour's most consistent players this year, playing in five finals overall and reaching the quarterfinals in every tournament she's played. Only Azarenka has topped the $2,680,090 in prize money Sharapova has earned this year.

And surely, the WTA would love to have her back on top—who is more marketable than Sharapova?

The perfect storm is swirling for Sharapova in France, and the winds are blowing her toward a French Open title.

2012 is the year she'll finally be queen of the clay.

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