Could this be the resurgence of Maria Sharapova?
This long legged Russian caught the eye of the tennis world at the tender age of seventeen. The scene was staged at the All England Club in 2004, when much to the amazement of the world she beat defending champion Serena Williams and lifted her first grand slam title.
Henceforth, the media became obsessed with the girl from Russia called Maria Sharapova. However, her career has not been as peachy as her sudden rise to the top, in fact it has been dogged with trials and tribulations that have shattered her child prodigy image. With the onset of the Stanford championships in Palo Alto, California, Sharapova will be looking to regain the glory she once was so proud of.
Sharapova has had a dismal year and will be looking to pick up the pieces at Stanford. However, this may not be an easy task as she has been handed down a tough draw. She may have been seeded five in the tournament but that is a far cry from her actual world ranking which stands at fifteen. Her opening round is a tricky one where she will face off against China’s Zheng Jie.
Jie is very capable of creating an upset on a good day and if Sharapova’s poor form is to continue, she might just become another one of Jie’s victims. On the flip side, if Sharapova conquers Jie and moves ahead she may meet Elena Dementieva or Dinara Safina in round three. It is a treacherous path for the former Russian champion, but she would need to overcome it if she wants to rebuild her troubled career.
Sharapova’s glory days began when she was just thirteen, she won the Eddie Herr International Junior tennis tournament and it was all uphill from there. But it was not until the 2004 season that she broke into the world top twenty ranking. But that was not the feat that propelled her into tennis history, it was her win at Wimbledon.
En route to the finals, she conquered seeded players like Ai Sugiyama and Lindsay Davenport. But when she walked out on Center Court on the final Saturday of Wimbledon, she was faced with a formidable opponent in the shape of Serena Williams.
But nerves did not get the better of the Russian and she became the third youngest female to capture the title. With this win she was hailed by the media as serious challenger to the dominance of the Williams sisters. Her performances were consistent till 2008 when erratic form and injuries ruined her career graph.
Justine Henin’s retirement was a blessing in disguise for Sharapova as she took over the world number one ranking. However, this was not to last too long as a chronic shoulder injury led to a surgery which kept her out of the game for ten months.
This was the turning point in her career, which made her start from the lowest levels. Upon her return to competitive tennis in 2009 she was ranked 126th in the world and her surgery had changed her style of play too. Getting used to a more compact serve was not easy as it led to many double faults. Her serve used to be an integral part of her game, reaching speeds in excess of 120 MPH.
But this is no more as she has had to reduce stress on her shoulder. Irrespective of all the trials and tribulations, Maria refused to throw her racquet down and followed her dream.
She may not have had a successful 2010 but her resolve is still strong. Her mental strength cemented with her steadfastness is what catches ones attention. She may be known for her shrieks on court but off court she is known for her confidence and good looks.
She has graced the covers of many international magazines and been a brand ambassador for many top brands. Her financial grounding may be due to endorsements but her ultimate dream is still what it used to be at the age of six; to be placed at the top of the women’s game. And it may just be her resolve that would get her there.
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