Now that Maria Sharapova has been bounced in the first round of a Grand-Slam for the first time since the 2003 U.S. Open, doubts are surfacing about her long-term legitimacy.
While Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin can seemingly wake up from a sound sleep, throw on a tennis skirt, and emerge as legitimate contenders for Grand-Slam titles, getting back to top form has proven to be a more nightmarish endeavor for the 22-year-old jet-setting Russian.
In 2009, when Maria was still new at learning to play with her surgically repaired right shoulder, turbulence was to be expected. Not surprisingly, those expectations were met. Maria struggled mightily – with a new abbreviated serving motion, with pain, with sagging confidence – while trying to climb back up the rankings past a new breed of supremely fit athletes. But even as the former power-server took to double-faulting with alarming regularity, she still managed draw upon her tremendous tenacity to give herself chances to win.
When the owner of the world’s most famous Pomeranian (of course you’ve heard of Dolce) struggled in only her 2nd tournament after a 10-month recovery, she still managed to will herself to the French Open quarterfinals with a gritty effort that won over the same Parisian fans that had cheered her upset loss in 2008 to Dinara Safina.
She wasn’t at her best, but still it was good to see her back. Good for fans and good for tennis. She was oh-so-pretty and she wasn’t even the loudest shrieker on tour anymore. Why not cheer for her?
It would be just a matter of time, we thought.
Just a matter of time before Maria would get comfortable on the court – then she would reassert herself as a top flight player and start bullying her way to Grand-Slam titles again. We said this even after diminutive Dominika Cibulkova gave her a 6-0, 6-2 thrashing, ending her run in Paris. Sure it was a tough loss, but Sharapova proved that she was a fighter out there. One tough loss wasn’t going to get her down.
But there would be more than one.
An early exit at the hands of Giselle Dulko at Wimbledon last year caused more concern, especially because Maria double-faulted 7 times in the deciding set, but a semifinal appearance in L.A. followed by a finals appearance at a premier event in Toronto seemed to point to the fact that Maria was slowly but surely getting the rust off.
She was right where she wanted to be.
I’m working hard at the sport I love, she pronounced.
Given the level of commitment she was displaying on the court, it was hard to argue.
But her success in L.A. and Toronto did not project to the slams. A 3rd round upset at the hands of firecracker Melanie Oudin at the U.S. Open featured 63 unforced errors and 21 double-faults from Sharapova. It wasn’t oh-so-pretty, but many of us still believed that the glass was still half full. In spite of all those errors she was that close to winning a tight match against a red-hot opponent, we thought. But was it Sharapova herself that was helping her opponents get hot?
A title in Tokyo was a nice surprise – Maria’s first WTA crown since April of 2008 (Amelia Island) was further proof that Sharapova had the game to return to the upper echelons of women’s tennis.
But how long would we have to wait?
Fast forward to the 2010 Australian Open. After a very disappointing first-round loss to Maria Kirilenko in Melbourne, we can’t help but wonder about the future of Sharapova. Tennis fans want to know: Is the glass half empty – and getting emptier?
In an age where quick-footed counter punchers can make slower power hitters like Sharapova look antiquated, one has to wonder if Maria’s time at the summit of the sport has come and gone. Perhaps what at first appeared to be rust on her shoulder is a larger and less solvable issue for Sharapova.
Now that the 6’2” Russian’s serve has become a liability instead of a weapon, a whole new pressure has emerged. Without the luxury of free points and easy holds, Sharapova has been forced to outslug her adversaries from the baseline.
This hit or miss proposition has too often been simply a miss for Sharapova.
Those who still believe the glass is half full will say that Maria nearly overcame 77 unforced errors and 11 double-faults to win against Maria Kirilenko yesterday. Very few players could have even made a match of it, they’ll say.
But there are others who’ll say that Sharapova’s feet aren’t quick enough to get her into position to properly time the ball – hence the ghastly unforced error count, and the even ghastlier 1st-round loss.
They’ll say the glass is half empty, and the magic potion is evaporating like dew under the scorching-hot Australian sun.
Maybe they are right.
Chris Oddo is a freelance tennis writer and blogger who is based in San Francisco, California. He is a regular commenter at OTB under the moniker The Fan Child. You can follow his blog at http://thefanchild.blogspot.com/.
Chris – great article! My take on Sharapova’s slow start/early exit at the AO is that she doesn’t accelerate (mentally) quite as quickly as some other players, and maybe for good reason. Henin and Clijsters took an “indefinite break” from tennis by choice, and their return was also a choice, without the burden of injuries or fear of re-injury. Sharapova’s 10-month break was not a choice, and her return to the top of the women’s game has been uncertain and pressure-filled. That’s not to say Sharapova isn’t mentally tough, but it may be that her shoulder injury has left her a bit more cautious.
Sharapova’s performance of late has been rather alarming, as even though she is relatively young, the rest of the field is passing her by rapidly.
Maria Kirilenko revealed some serious holes in the Sharapova armor, and Sharapova’s not nearly as invincible or intimidating as she used to be to the other players. Without a decent serve or faster foot speed, she’s going to have a rough season.
Great article, Chris! Thanks!
I think Maria should stop relying on a brute power, it hasn’t done anything good for her and got her into a big trouble physically. She needs to work on her footwork a fair bit, decelerate and be prepared from day 1. I think after so many wins over Kiri she simply underestimated her and was not that ready which cost her the match.
Yes – stop RELYING on brute power! Use it like all the other tricks in your bag, when it is appropriate. I think the Maria Sharapova that wins another Slam is going to have to be much more fit – and able to develop and sustain rallies rather than just trying to rip winners.
There seems to be too much risk in her game…
But at 22, there is a lot of time for Maria to make improvements. I’ve actually become a much bigger fan of hers since the comeback – I hope she keeps battling!!!
Thanks for your comments!
Chris
How quickly some “experts” are willing to dismiss Masha after her loss at the AO 2010 – However – another star – Kim Clijster – was beaten in 2 straight sets 6-0 and 6-1 – Compare that to Masha’s battle in 3 sets in which – with a little luck she could have won
Everybody can have a bad day – in Masha’s case it happened on day 1 – when she’d to play against a player who was far better than her ranking showed
If someone has the mental toughness – it’s Masha and I’m sure we’ll hear more – and especially see more fantastic great stuff from her this year – She’ll be back – and sometimes soon she’ll be the old killer winner Masha again
Chris! Great article! :)
I’ve heard it said that one of the great things about Maria is she doesn’t let her outside portfolio interfere with her on court performance.
But i’m not so sure that’s the case.
I think judging a person chances based on the result of the loss of a first round match is ****, and trying to back up ones point my mentioning former lost matches when the person in question is on her way back from injury, is nothing more than throwing a cheep punch. This simply goes to show that small persons has small minds, at least in this case.
Maria will be back on top, just you wait and see, somehow noone takes her story into account when it comes to these kinds of features, and i can tell you why. Trying to make Maria look like the eternal looser will fall to pieces when compared to what she has gone trough to be where she is, and still is going through it seems, at least taking this so called article into account.
The fact is you americans relish at the thought that you can get somebody to think Maria is long gone, at least just to make yourself look oh so high and mighty, when the truth is, amerika is soon to be a no show when it comes to wta. You failed at grooming new players to take over when the Williams sisters is gone, so why not try to make yourself looking better by turning the light on someone else??? You´re not fooling me, the only one who is over is american tennis on the womens tour. Maria will be back and tons of other nationalities will make your little country look like beggars at that party.
Next time your writing anything try using your brain for a change, that is if you actually have one.
It´s about time you guys aknowledge this fact, america is not the country, it´s just another country among all the others, no more butt kissing.
Solvieg,
I only meant to bring to light the challenges that Maria faces as she tries to work her way to the top.
I didn’t intend to be negative at all – I love Maria and the fire that she plays with. She is a great competitor and a great personality. I have enjoyed her return to the sport and I have been rooting for her to play well.
Thank you for reading, and sorry you were offended.
- Chris Oddo
Maria Sharapova’s career is NOT in terminal decline; she just had a bad day at the office.
Maria prepared for the Australian Open as usual: by playing a series of exhibitions, and eschewing the WTA tournaments in the fortnight before the AO. So she went up against Little Maria – who knows her very well, and played very well on the day – with insufficient match-play.
So it was a rough start to the season, and yet another disappointment in a Major, but Maria should be fine for the rest of the season, and as it is an even-numbered year, she can expect to win her fourth Major.
Oh – and Maria reached the second round of the US Open 2003. The last time she lost in the first round of a Major was at the French Open 2003 – and only then after qualifying.
Maria sharapova will always be the best!! This AO year wasn’t meant for her… but before that she won the title in tokyo and in hongkong…
she always try her best that she can be and next tour she will rule the court…Sad about her injury a year ago cuz its really disturbing her game… and now i know she try to play better than before…. im just happy that she come back cuz the only reason i watch tennis is because of her and i love playing tennis! GO maria you still RULE the COURT! Hoping for your new unique outfit you’ll design in nike!