Maria Sharapova: 5 Reasons She Can Complete Her Career Slam at the French Open

It's a good thing Maria Sharapova decided to ignore this earlier report because she just won the biggest clay-court title of her career this past weekend in Rome.

Now, can she take it a step further to complete a career Grand Slam—winning all four Major tournaments—on the terre battue at the French Open? Capturing the Italian Open with victories over solid clay-courters such as Caroline Wozniacki and Samantha Stosur shows that she's in good form.

Here are five reasons why Sharapova can add to her collection of Grand Slam trophies at this year's French Open.

She's Done It Before—Just Not at the French

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LONDON - JULY 3: Maria Sharapova of Russia poses with her trophy after she won against Serena Williams of USA in the ladies final match at the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championship on July 3, 2004 at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in LondonShar

Maria Sharapova's first Major statement was winning Wimbledon at the age of 17, shocking two-time defending champion Serena Williams in the final. Sharapova won the 2006 U.S. Open for her second Slam title, then added a third at the 2008 Australian Open final. So the pressures that come with contending for one of the game's elite events is nothing new. In fact, of the players likely to compete at this year's French Open, she's the second-most prolific Slam winner, behind only Kim Clijsters who has four Majors.

Perhaps It Should Be Called the French 'Wide' Open

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PARIS - JUNE 05: Francesca Schiavone of Italy celebrates with the trophy after winning the women's singles final match between Francesca Schiavone of Italy and Samantha Stosur of Australia on day fourteen of the French Open at Roland Garros on June 5, 20

Not many people predicted Francesca Schiavone would win the French Open last year. In 2009, Svetlana Kuznetsova taking the title was also somewhat of a surprise as it had been years since she won her first Grand Slam, the 2004 U.S. Open. And in 2008, it was anyone's game as three-time defending champion Justine Henin had retired shortly before the start of the tournament, which Ana Ivanovic took advantage of. In other words, the French no longer has players dominating it like in the days of Henin, Steffi Graf, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Monica Seles or Chris Evert. The title is there for the taking.

Sharapova: The Picture of Health?

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KEY BISCAYNE, FL - MARCH 31: Maria Sharapova of Russia follows through on a return against Andrea Petkovic of Germany during their women's semifinal match at the Sony Ericsson Open at Crandon Park Tennis Center on March 31, 2011 in Key Biscayne, Florida.

Why is it that Sharapova only has three Grand Slam singles titles to her name? Three's a good number, but there should still be more trophies on the mantelpiece. The primary reason she hasn't won more has been due to a variety of injuries, starting with the shoulder injury that nearly derailed her career. Early on this season, she suffered from sickness that forced her to withdraw from some tournaments. But in the past few months, she's shown no signs of anything physical that could keep her off the court. Her record in her last four tournaments is 16-3 with a win at the Italian Open and a final-round appearance at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami to show for it. She also made a return to the top 10 after being absent from the ranking elite for two years. A healthy Maria Sharapova is a very dangerous one.

Power Plays Well on the Clay

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PARIS - JUNE 8: Serena Williams (left) and sister Venus of the USA pose with thire trophies after the French Open final on June 8, 2002 at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France. Serena deated Venus 7-5 6-3. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

On clay, a player must be prepared for long points as those winners on faster surfaces won't translate as easily to the slippery stuff. That doesn't mean a player can't hit through the clay: Just look at what Sharapova accomplished last week in Rome. Few players in the history of the game hit the ball harder than Maria, and she could look at some past champions and practitioners of "Big Babe Tennis" who've come away with a French Open, such as Serena Williams, Mary Pierce, Jennifer Capriati, Seles and Graf. Looping the ball over the net with heavy topspin can do a lot of damage on the clay, but a flat forehand drive can, too.

History Could Be in the Making

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ROME, ITALY - MAY 15: Maria Sharapova of Russia celebrates a point during the final against Samantha Stosur of Australia during day eight of the Internazoinali BNL D'Italia at the Foro Italico Tennis Centre on May 15, 2011 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Cliv

Maria Sharapova is arguably the world's most famous female athlete. Her endorsement portfolio is huge: No one's racked up the ads and magazine covers like the 24-year-old. For all of her off-court activities, it can never be said that it's taken away from her game. If anything, when she's on the court it looks like there's no place she'd rather be as she's one of the fiercest competitors the game has known. Sharapova knows she's playing well right now and that her career stats match up well against anyone playing at this year's French Open. With a chance to make history by having won all four of tennis' biggest prizes on the line, her motivation will be off the charts.