Wimbledon 2011: Maria Sharapova Returns To Form

Maria Sharapova Returns to Top of Tennis in Wimbledon 2011 Results

Maria Sharapova was too old and too brittle to win another Grand Slam title, let alone Wimbledon. That was the thinking anyway. Sharapova is proving you just can't keep a good woman down. 

Fresh off one of the most inconsistent years in her career, Sharapova looked like she was going to finally succumb to the rotator cuff injury she sustained in 2008. 

However, 2011 welcomed a rejuvenated Sharapova that was, at times, just as dominant as she was when she reigned as the number one player in the world. 

At other times, she was an erratic mess. At the Australian Open she looked poised to win the first Slam of the year, but was ultimately undone by Andrea Petkovic, and her own unforced errors. 

At the French Open, she cruised into the semi-finals to face Li Na. Then the error bug bit big time. Sharapova once again proved that she can be her own worst enemy at times. 

A quick glance at the landscape of Wimbledon has one thinking that her time has finally come. The once crisp player that dominated the field has returned to form, and the best in the game have already fallen. 

There are no Williams sisters to battle. Caroline Wozniacki is left to wonder what went wrong in her attempt to capture greatness at the All England Club.

The lone star of the sport is Maria Sharapova, and the only person that can take her down is herself. In her semi-final match with Sabine Lisicki, Sharapova had 18 unforced errors and only 14 winners. 

The fact that she cruised to a 6-4, 6-3 victory is amazing. Once again, Sharapova tried to give back the match to a lesser player, something she has done time and again for a couple of years now. 

She is now set to face the No. 8 player in the world, Petra Kvitova, in the final. But that is not all: she will be playing against her own erratic play that lately has seemed to flare up at the worst moments.

Seeing how she was able to temper that in the semi-finals has me wholly confident that she has figured out the ongoing issues.

This is her tournament, and her time to shine once again.