For the second consecutive year, the Sony Ericsson Open is missing one of its biggest stars. The cellular phone conglomerate’s most popular female athlete endorser is a no-show once again.
It has nothing to do with Miami personally, mind you. Last year, Sharapova made sure that it was known that she was willing to fulfill her contractual obligations by showing up to sign some autographs and take a few photos. But fans wanted more than to wait in line just to get a scribble on a tennis ball. They wanted to see one of the world’s most recognizable athletes compete.
Even though she only has three majors to her credit, Sharapova is one of tennis’ biggest stars—and money makers. Tournaments with Maria in the field are sure to draw a crowd and in the minds of promoters, she’s worth every penny of her appearance fees.
But while Sharapova can still demand expensive guarantees, all the money in the world—including the millions stashed away in her bank accounts—can’t seem to solve the problems that have been perplexing her for the past two seasons. And believe it or not, she could actually be a bit richer.
Sharapova’s tennis prize money paycheck was just $896,619 in 2009, compared to her income on court of $1,937,879 in 2008. This year, she’s only made $71,939—which places her at No. 55 on the year’s prize money list, earning just a few more thousands than American hopefuls Vania King and Melanie Oudin.
Vic Braden, one of the most successful tennis coaches of this era, has conducted a study which analyzed 2,633 elbows and shoulders to examine the effects of the toss in the service motion. When asked about Sharapova’s ongoing problem, he believes it traces back to the technique of her serve.
“People who throw the ball up over their head are more prone to wear out the rotator cuff,” Braden said.
Retooling the toss is something Sharapova has attempted, albeit briefly. She returned to the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour after a nine-month hiatus with a new service motion last season, but decided to abandon it prematurely after a string of poor results.
She has been more consistent on the circuit this season, but despite winning Memphis last month, it has been a rocky road for the former world number one. Sharapova reached the third round in Indian Wells before losing to Zheng Jie, but was forced to pull out of Miami because of an elbow injury.
According to Braden, this newest issue is directly related to her serve and her shoulder. “The nerve center comes down and then affects the elbow,” added Braden.
The crucial question regarding Sharapova’s injury is how serious the damage is inside her shoulder. “If it is only inflammation, she can recover,” continued Braden. “But if she has the same serve, it will repeat.”
Sacrificing several months to develop a new serve is something no tennis player wants to do, especially someone trying to remain an elite player on a Tour that is constantly inundated with new talent.
But in Sharapova’s case, a new serve might not only fix her shoulder, but could also save her now-threatened career.
Good article about Sharapova’s shoulder. Vic Braden is the right guy to ask about it.
I would not say that Maria’s career was in jeopardy at this stage, but this article is certainly thought-provoking. It would indeed be worth sacrificing several months to remodel her serve if this would guarantee a longer, better future, but who could make such a guarantee?
I actually did not know that the elbow issues were considered to be serve related. It’s very unfortunate for Maria because that booming serve was definitely a bread and butter shot.
I hope that she can retool it in a way that can keep her on a court. She IS good for the game, and she’s such a fierce competitor when she is healthy.
Unfortunately, Andrew, there is no way to guarantee that it would give her a better future. Although, at this point, when she’s not able to be a consistent, uninjured competitor, it might be worth the gamble.
I trust that Maria will take expert advice (including her own) on this.
And why is she so popular?! It’s all about her look!
A tennis player who looks not that good is automatically less popular. it’s just a fact…
“The crucial question regarding Sharapova’s injury is how serious the damage is inside her shoulder.”
But don’t they know how serious it is, thru an MRI? Surely she has had one done already, no? So I wondered about this.
Maria is hampered I feel because she is not the natural athlete that a few of the other women are, and this includes her muscle structure. Not that she needs to look like Sam Stosur, but a little more strength might protect her shoulder.
I have followed her service motion through its various reincarnations but frankly I don’t know what she should be doing. Sometimes I think her serve has too many moving parts, there is a certain overall coordination that seems lacking, the timing may be a bit off. No surprise I guess, she is trying to make a really major change to her game. It is fascinating to watch, and wonder, but I hope she gets her groove back, I enjoy watching her competitive fire.
I’d not miss Sharapova, her baseline bashing game is boring and her shrieking is annoying.