Maria Sharapova: Biggest Hurdles Star Must Overcome to Win French Open 2012
As the 2012 French Open gets under way, Maria Sharapova looks to make some noise and take home the crown. If she ends her Grand Slam drought, she will need to fulfill her potential and overcome a few hurdles on her way to the title.
The second-seeded Russian star is matched up with Alexandra Cadantu in the first round. After struggling to go deep in the French Open for most of her career, Sharapova aims to build off of last year’s semifinal loss. She takes the momentum of reaching the finals in the Australian Open back in January and her success in recent tournaments into the French Open. Finally healthy, she is looking to rebound and have a good showing in Paris. She will need to beat some of her rivals as well as overcome other obstacles.
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Fifth-seeded American Serena Williams appears to be one of the biggest threats to Sharapova. She enters as the tournament favorite and has already won a tournament this year. A potential matchup between the two should worry Sharapova. Williams has won eight of the 10 matchups, including seven in a row dating back to 2004. In the past year, Williams won both meetings 6-1, 6-3. She defeated Sharapova almost three weeks ago on her way to winning the Madrid Open. She is always viewed as a legitimate title contender despite battling through injuries, including a recent lower back injury that forced her to withdraw from the Italian Open in Rome nine days ago. If the injury flares up in the French Open, one of Sharapova’s biggest obstacles may be gone early, which would increase her chances of taking home the title.
World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka will pose a major threat to Sharapova’s title hopes. Azarenka is looking to win her second straight Grand Slam after beating Sharapova in the Australian Open final. The top two players in the world could potentially meet in the finals and add another chapter to this rivalry. Azarenka currently owns a 5-4 advantage over Sharapova in head-to-head meetings, including 2-1 so far this year. Sharapova defeated Azarenka 6-1, 6-4 in the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix championship match last month. The current top two players in the world have met five times in championship matches in the past three years with Azarenka winning each meeting except the most recent one. Taking on the top player in the world is no easy task, but Sharapova matches up well with Azarenka.
History
History may be the biggest factor holding Sharapova back. Of the four Grand Slam tournaments, the French Open is the only one she has not won. Plus, last year’s semifinal loss was the furthest she had ever advanced in the tournament (she also reached the semifinals in 2007). Sharapova will need to overcome her French Open struggles if she plans on winning it for the first time. Her recent Grand Slam history may also hold her back as she has not won a Grand Slam since her 2008 Australian Open title. Until last year, she struggled to even make it to the semifinals of any Grand Slam. In her four-year drought, she has reached two Grand Slam finals. Both finals appearances came in the past year, which should give her a reason to be optimistic. Sharapova is looking to complete the career Grand Slam.
Clay Surface
For most of her career, Sharapova has struggled playing on a clay surface. The clay at the French Open may decrease her chances of winning the tournament, but she has finally started to have success on the surface. Her previous two tournaments, the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix and the Italian Open, were both played on clay. Sharapova came away from each tournament as the champion. She is an incredible 11-1 on clay this year, losing only to Serena Williams in Madrid.
Sharapova has finally played well in recent Grand Slams and is playing well overall. Winning consecutive tournaments on clay should give her the confidence she needs to make a deep run in this year’s French Open. She may need to overcome the psychological edge Serena Williams appears to have on her. With Serena hobbled, she may finally be able to get a victory over her. If Sharapova is able to either avoid Serena or beat her, Sharapova may be the favorite to win it all given how well she has played as of late.
Confidence should help Sharapova finally pull through and win the French Open. She realizes what is at stake and now may be her best chance to make a run in the tournament. Momentum is a big advantage once a tournament gets under way, which makes Maria Sharapova a legitimate threat to win her first French Open.
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