Maria Sharapova: Why 2011 Wimbledon Will Define Her Career

Former World No. 1 Maria Sharapova is only 24 years of age. It seems like the Russian beauty has been around forever. That is because 6'2" Sharapova has been winning majors since she was 17 years old, turning professional a decade ago.

The Russian plays right-handed, employing a two-handed back-hand. Much of her power comes from her non-traditional swing volley when approaching the net. She plays with enormous aggression on her shots regardless of the score. Sharapova never gives in to any situation on court with a safe, “not to lose” attitude. She goes for her shots.

Favoring the liquid surfaces—hard court and grass, the Russian's game comes alive as the balls fly fast and hard.

Enhanced by deceptive foot speed, Sharapova plays the angles, sharp and deep with tremendous power and accuracy. In 2008 she added a sliced backhand and experimented with a drop shot.

Essentially, however, Sharapova’s tennis arsenal is built upon a powerful first and second serve.  Sharapova has blasted serves in excess of 120 MPH, counting on service winners or weak responses to allow her to take control of the ensuing rally. 

Her serve has always been the springboard for the rest of her game. When Sharapova suffered a rotator cuff tear back in 2008, it reduced the effectiveness of her serve. The result was an overabundance of double faults as the Russian struggled to put the ball in play.

The source of her problem, however, was not discovered until late summer of 2008. Eventually surgery on the shoulder required a long layoff from tennis.

Earlier, with the abrupt retirement of Justine Henin in May of 2008, Sharapova ascended to the top spot, taking over the No. 1 ranking as the Belgian cleaned out her locker with instructions to remove her ranking points. Exit, stage right.

Sharapova, however, playing at the 2008 French Open on her least favorite surface, fell early, losing the No. 1 ranking after three weeks. The ranking bounced to Serb Ana Ivanovic, who won the 2008 French Open in Henin’s absence.

Unfortunately, Ivanovic could not hold the top spot and Jelena Jankovic captured it for one week. Abruptly, Ivanovic recaptured the No. 1 ranking for another three weeks, only to lose it when Serena Williams took over and held it for four weeks after winning the 2008 U.S. Open. 

The ranking bounced from player to player with Dinara Safina ascending to the top spot for a period of time, getting into the rankings hot potato game. Serena Williams dominated for a long time; but then the American was injured and did not play tennis for almost a year.

Currently Caroline Wozniacki holds the No. 1 spot; but, no one is happy about that, except Wozniacki, because the Dane has not won a major. Whine on, malcontents.

Since Henin’s retirement a little over three years ago, seven different women have been ranked No. 1 for as little as three weeks and as long as 66 weeks in total. The women’s tour has never stabilized since Henin stepped down in 2008 with the Belgian having held No. 1 ranking for a total of 117 weeks.

Sharapova went out with a shoulder injury after the 2008 Wimbledon Championships. She returned full time to the tour just prior to the 2009 French Open where she did exceptionally well after being out of action for such an extended period.

Early in her comeback, the Russian's game was not anywhere close to the game she displayed at the 2008 Australian Open.

During her absence, Sharapova’s ranking had dropped out of the top 100, falling as far as No. 126. Speculation continued about her ability to return to action at all—further, that at age 22 her career might be over. 

Certainly the shoulder injury weakened her serve—the essential piece of her game. By changing her service motion, utilizing a more compact backswing, Maria hoped to reduce the stress on her shoulder—but her serve remained fairly ineffective and her game suffered.

Since her return to the game in 2009, Sharapova has struggled while working hard on her game, improving week by week. Her double fault totals continued to astound tennis commentators; but Sharapova never quit in her attempt to regain her serve and make her way back to the top of the women’s game.

Even though losing in the semifinals at Indian Wells in 2011, Sharapova finally made it back into the women’s top 10––approximately two years after losing her foothold in that elite group.

In May of 2011, the Russian not only reached the finals in Rome, she won the title on her least favorite surface, clay. This feat was accomplished at the Italian Open immediately prior to the start of the 2011 French Open.

Continuing her brilliant play, Sharapova made her first French Open semifinal since 2007, losing to the eventual champion, Li Na of China. The final four appearance moved the Russian’s ranking up to the No. 6 spot.

When Sharapova returned to the tour after her shoulder injury, she struggled mightily with double faults and unforced errors. Today, those errors still creep into her game periodically. But, heading into the third round at this year's Wimbledon on Saturday, Sharapova’s game now seems back on track which is especially fortuitous considering the frequent vacancies at the top of the women’s game. 

Sharapova’s total reemergence is a shot in the arm for the women’s game.

With the on-again, off-again status of the Williams sisters whose appearances on the tennis stage are few and far between, there has been no dominating player winning majors since 2008. Venus is currently 31 and later this year, Serena will turn 30. In addition to their frequent absences, they are getting older and perhaps are concentrating more on their many outside interests.

Kim Clijsters, the current World No. 2, had won the two most recent majors on hard courts before suffering a severe ankle sprain that kept her out of the French Open and now out of Wimbledon. Clijsters seems to be hinting at retiring again after the next Summer Olympics to be held in London in 2012.

Of the remaining players, not one apparently possesses enough mental fortitude to grab the No. 1 mantle and hold on to it except, perhaps, the long-legged Russian beauty, Sharapova.

Since Henin’s retirement—besides bouncing the No. 1 ranking around like a basketball during a warm up drill—the majors have been dominated by Serena Williams, except for the French Open—which Ivanovic won in 2008, Svetlana Kuznetsova won in 2009, Francesca Schiavone won in 2010 and Li Na won in 2011. Additionally, Clijsters won the U.S. Open in 2009 and 2010 and the Australian Open in 2011.

During this same period newcomers Caroline Wozniacki, Vera Zvonareva and Victoria Azarenka have risen to the top ranking spots while former newcomers Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic suffered a Serbian slump and Russian Dinara Safina melted away.

Sharapova could be the answer to the WTA’s prayers because she has won three majors on every surface except clay. Sharapova won her first major at Wimbledon in 2004 defeating Serena Williams in straight sets, 6-1, 6-4.

Her second major came at the U.S. Open in 2006 with Sharapova upending Justine Henin, 6-4, 6-4. Finally Sharapova won her third major in Australia in 2008 when she outplayed the Serb Ivanovic, 7-5, 6-3.

Sharapova has desire, tenacity and mental fortitude. She expects to win when she takes the court. As a proven commodity on tour Sharapova would accept, hold on to and fight to keep the No. 1 mantle.

Once she climbed to the top and assumed the crown, the press would stop harping about the injustice of the ranking system. Order would once again reign over women’s tennis. After three years, peace would be welcomed.

Sharapova has the face and form that fosters and fulfills dreams. But what she wants most is to win and establish herself at the top of the women’s game in tennis. 

It has been Sharapova’s life long dream since she journeyed to the Unites States with her father at age six in 1994 to attend the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida.

Winning Wimbledon in 2011 would bring Sharapova back to the place where the 17-year-old Russian began her glorious career. 

Holding the Rosewater Dish in 2011 aloft would place Sharapova back at the top of women’s tennis, forever defining her career.