Maria Sharapova: Time for a Resurgence Down Under

"If you cannot serve, you cannot rule."

—Bulgarian Proverb

It is not easy to ignore the appeal of long-legged tennis beauty Maria Sharapova. However, the worst mistake you could make is to assume that she toys with tennis in order to promote her modeling career. Such an assumption is not only unfair, it is unproductive. 

A review of last year’s Australian Open gives you a definitive answer as to her competitive spirit and fierce determination.

She tore through the best competition they could throw at her, winning the 2008 Australian Open in convincing fashion. Relishing every bite, she chewed up the most elite players on tour and spit them out, one after another.

First, she overpowered Lindsay Davenport, 6-1, 6-3. She then rolled over Elena Dementieva, 6-2, 6-0, and finally laid waste to No. 1-ranked Justine Henin in the quarterfinals, 6-4, 6-0, and, in the process, ended Henin’s 32-match winning streak.

After that, she took out the super Serbs in the semifinals and finals, respectively—Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic. Sharapova never lost a set—it was a singularly stellar performance.

Moreover, it marked her third grand slam championship, having previously won at Wimbledon at age 17 and the U.S. Open in 2006.

Sharapova has the face and form that at once 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. 

That has been her life’s 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.

Her early life deprivation, including the struggle to survive and excel in strange surroundings, has imbued Sharapova with a mental toughness she masks with humor and quiet resolve. 

Her relationship with her father has often been the subject of press scrutiny—but one must assume that their combined ambitions have been realized as she has soared to the top in tennis and as well on the world stage as an advertising diva and model.  

Father Yuri never relents in his expectation to see his daughter live up to the promise of her talent...to compensate for the years of sacrifice.

Currently, Sharapova is 21 years of age and reigns tall at 6'2". She is right-handed and plays a two-handed back-hand. Her power comes from her swing volley when approaching the net or detouring lobs. 

She plays angles, sharp and deep, with tremendous power and accuracy. In 2008, we saw the addition of a selected sliced backhand and experiments with a drop shot.

Her arsenal includes a powerful first and second serve. Sharapova has ricocheted rockets in excess of 126 MPH, counting on service winners or weak responses to allow her to take control of the ensuing rally. 

Her serve has always been an integral ingredient in her success. However, she suffered an injury in 2007 that has reduced her effectiveness. The result has been an overabundance of double faults as she struggles to put the ball in play. 

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. During the 2008 French Open, she served 43 double faults. Without her vaunted serve, Sharapova’s confidence flails.

Favoring the liquid surfaces—hard court and grass, her game comes alive as the balls fly fast and hard. She has not, however, done well on clay and feels uncomfortable trying to slide on the surface—calling her movements akin to a “cow on ice.” 

Although she finally won an event on clay in 2008, the French Open still remains the only major she has not captured.

In 2001, she turned professional but only played in one tournament. She began playing the circuit full time in 2003, where she finished the year ranked No. 32 and was named the WTA’s newcomer of the year.

In 2004, Sharapova won Wimbledon and finished the year ranked No. 4. She won five titles that year. 

Also finishing 2005 ranked No. 4, she became the highest ranked Russian for the first time in her career and she was the only player on the women’s tour to reach three grand slam semifinals.

Holding the No. 1 ranking for one week beginning on Aug. 22, 2005, she reclaimed it and held it for six weeks starting in September. 

In 2006, she won the U.S. Open and climbed to world No. 2. An injury-riddled 2007, however, saw Sharapova fall to No. 5 in the world. She was no longer the top-ranked Russian, either, that honor going to Svetlana Kuznetsova. 

Seeded No. 1 at the French Open after Henin’s retirement, Sharapova lost to Dinara Safina in the fourth round. After her loss in the second round at Wimbledon in 2008 and a subsequent loss at the Rogers Cup, Sharapova has been absent from the tour. 

Tests revealed that she had been suffering from a torn rotator cuff since April of 2008. 

Sharapova’s return in 2009 is eagerly anticipated because she is immensely popular with fans, both men and women. 

With the No. 1 ranking bouncing from player to player after Henin’s untimely retirement, stability cries out to be established at the top of the women’s game and it could be fairly hotly contested early in 2009, marking the end of Jankovic’s shaky hold on the top spot. 

Sharapova is certainly one of the favorites to reign over the women’s game as she begins her comeback in the land down under, trying to recapture the Australian Open crown she won so convincingly a year ago. 

Does she have the right stuff? No doubt! Can she repeat? Time will tell.

"...If the serve returns, the game will surely follow."

—Old tennis proverb!