French Open 2012: 5 Reasons Why Maria Sharapova Should Be Odds-on Favorite

Maria Sharapova is currently rated the second-best player in women’s tennis.

She finds herself coming to Roland Garros having never won the French Open, but she reached the semifinals last year. 2011 was her best clay season, and she looks to carry that momentum into the 2012 French Open.

With her nemesis, Serena Williams, upset yesterday in France, Maria Sharapova now becomes one of the favorites to capture the trophy.

Here are five reasons why.

Her Improvement on Clay

Playing on the clay surface has never been Sharapova’s strong suit.

She is a much better player on the hard surfaces; this is one reason why she has never won at Roland Garros.

However, Sharapova has seen a drastic improvement in her clay game over the past two years. With a championship at the French Open, her 2012 campaign would rank as her best clay season.

She won her first clay tournament of the year at Stuttgart, where she defeated Victoria Azarenka in the final. Then, in Madrid, Serena Williams knocked her off in the quarterfinals, but Sharapova rebounded nicely with another victory in Rome, where she beat Li Na in a thriller.

With her good form on clay this season it looks like Sharapova will finally be able to lift the French Open trophy. 

Strong 2012 Season

Maria has had a strong start to her 2012 season. Not only is she playing well on clay, but she is currently 29-5 overall this year.

After coming up just short to Azarenka in the Australian Open, she looks to rebound by adding the French Open to her trophy case. Strong play coming into major tournaments is important, and Sharapova is playing brilliant tennis as of late.

She shouldn’t stumble at any point of this tournament, and 2012 could shape up to be a great season for the Russian star. 

Serena Is Gone

No one is more exicted to see Serena lose in yesterday’s action than Sharapova.

The two have had a long-standing rivalry, and Serena’s dominance on the clay surface has really hurt Sharapova’s chances of winning the French Open. In her three previous clay matches this year, the only person to beat Sharapova was Serena.

Sharapova has already beaten the other two favorites to win the French Open on a clay surface this year, beating both Li Na and Azarenka.

With Serena gone, she should have all the confidence in the world that she can win and get the French Open monkey off her back. 

Determination

With a win in France, Sharapova would complete her Career Grand Slam.

The French open is the only championship missing from her trophy case, so that should provide extra determination for Sharapova.

Her clay court victories this year could be a sign of how hard she has been working to put herself in the best position to win at Roland Garros.

Another bit of motivation for Sharapova is that if she can win the tournament and Azarenka fails to reach the final, then Sharapova would regain the No. 1 world ranking—she last held the ranking in 2007.

Every athlete drives to be the best, and Sharapova is looking more determined to be the best this year than in years past.

It's Her Time

Sharapova has not won a Grand Slam event since her 2008 Australian Open.

She finished second at Wimbledon in 2011, then came up just short at the Australian Open in 2012. She has not won a Grand Slam in her last 14 attempts.

With all that’s on the line and with Serena Williams knocked out early, it is finally time for Sharapova to win her next Slam.