Will Maria Sharapova Be a Top Player Again
Maria Sharapova is regarded as a neat of women'southward tennis. She ranks 11th amongst the most successful female person players of the Open up Era, winning 5 1000 Slams and ranking as the world number 1 for a total of 21 weeks.
Equally the Russian turns 34, GiveMeSport Women looks back at the defining moments of her career, including her famed feud with Serena Williams and the controversy surrounding her doping ban.
The rise of Sharapova
Born in the Russian town of Nyagan in Russian federation, Maria Sharapova offset hit a tennis ball when she was four years quondam. Since then, she has gone on to win the greatest accolades of the sport, including a career Grand Slam.
There are very few players who have had every bit big of an impact on their sport as Sharapova has had on lawn tennis. She broke onto the public'southward radar because of her sporting achievements, but it was her blonde hair and good looks that made big brands line up with lucrative endorsement deals for lawn tennis'due south newest star, catapulting her to fame and Forbes' 'Rich List'.
Sharapova made her professional debut in 2002 on her 14th birthday. Within a year, she was in the top 50. Less than a year after that, she was a household proper name after lifting her get-go major trophy, defeating Serena Williams in straight sets at the 2004 Wimbledon final.
It seems similar the Russian liked winning Grand Slams every other year. Wimbledon in 2004, the The states Open in 2006 and then the Australian Open in 2008, before 2 French Open wins in 2012 and 2014.
At 21, Sharapova had iii Chiliad Slam titles to her name after securing the Australian Open in 2008, simply the pinnacle of her career came in 2012. She became the 10th woman to achieve a career Yard Slam by beating Sara Errani in the terminal of the French Open.
Yet, it was as well a year that Sharapova cruel curt and Williams came upwards trumps once again, thrashing her in the Olympic final half-dozen-0, 6-one and ensuring it was a silver medal rather than a gold 1 around Sharapova'southward neck.
Her final major victory arrived in 2014 – her second French Open championship and fifth overall. Past this point, a shoulder injury had become a regular source of frustration for the Russian and something which continued until she retired last year. She had relied on a hard-striking style of play and a powerful outset and 2nd serve, simply these strengths were macerated by the injury and consistent surgery.
Serena rivalry
Perhaps rivalry is too potent of a word when comparing Sharapova with Serena Williams. Equally the Russian retired last year, the scoreline finished 20-2 to Williams.
Looking at information technology from a statistical viewpoint, information technology would be a disservice to the American to argue it was even remotely close, but information technology was the clash of personalities on and off-courtroom that captured the attending of lawn tennis fans and those further afield.
Since Sharapova's kickoff Grand Slam win at Wimbledon in 2004, she and Williams have dominated the WTA tour for xv years. No other player offered the same consistency over that time frame. Despite the head-to-head record tilting massively towards Williams, Sharapova was the next best thing in women's tennis.
That Wimbledon final created a narrative that was to last for the remainder of Sharapova'southward career, and to a lesser extent, Williams'southward.
The 17-year-erstwhile Russian entered Centre Court and defeated the two-time reigning champion 6-ane, half dozen-4. Williams already had six 1000 Slam titles to her proper noun, whilst for Sharapova, it was just her sixth appearance at a major tournament. It was one of tennis'south greatest upsets and Sharapova burst onto the international stage.
In her memoir, Sharapova recalls Williams bawling afterward the 2004 final and saying, "I will never lose to that little bitch again."
Williams was wrong. She did lose to Sharapova again and she didn't have to look around for long. The Serena and Sharapova rivalry started in 2004, and by all means, it ended in 2004. The pair met once more in the finals of that twelvemonth's WTA Tour Championships and Williams, for the 2d and last time, lost to Maria Sharapova.
When y'all consider that Williams won the adjacent 20 matches, you have to wonder how the rivalry that never was remained relevant . Sharapova had established herself equally one of the few to beat Williams and her five major titles showed she was, at the time, one of the game's very best.
She might not accept achieved the same able-bodied feats that Williams has, but the pair did match each other in one thing. Every dig that came from Serena was met with retaliation from Sharapova.
Williams was described by many as a fiery player, wearing her heart on her sleeve and often losing her rag on court. Sharapova was painted as the opposite. She was well known for her loud grunts on the courtroom just she was portrayed as a calculated, cold as ice, character.
It seems fitting that the Sharapova vs Serena feud was put to rest by the improve of the two. In Sharapova's final Grand Slam final, Williams won in direct sets to tape her sixth Australian Open title. Again, in Sharapova'southward last advent at the US Open, information technology was her greatest foe, Serena, that she faced and fell to in the starting time circular.
Doping controversy
Every bit her tennis success continued to refuse, Sharapova'southward credibility was overshadowed in 2016 after she admitted to failing a drugs test at the Australian Open. She was suspended for two years by the International Tennis Federation, a ban which was reduced to 15 months considering she had been taking the drug for ten years without violating any anti-doping rules.
Meldonium, the drug in question, was added to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) prohibited substance list just two months before that year'south Australian Open up. This, along with the fact she was initially incredibly open about her consumption of the substance, dissever stance across the tennis community.
Williams praised her for being upfront about her usage of the drug, but besides condemned her along with the likes of Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal. The pair criticised the Russian for not taking notice of the new doping regulations, calling for her suspension.
And it wasn't merely players who took sides. Sharapova'south extreme marketability meant that some of the big brands which had raced to sponsor her jumped ship. Nike and TAG Heuer suspended their sponsorship and she was removed as a goodwill administrator for the United nations Development Programme. Nevertheless racquet manufacturer Head carried on endorsing the Russian.
In 2017, she returned to the WTA tour and despite ranking outside of the top 100, those on the business concern side of lawn tennis recognised the marketability opportunities that Maria Sharapova brought to the game. She was given wildcard entry to a number of tournaments, including the US Open. Whilst injuries to her thigh and arm hindered her progress, Sharapova had made her way back to the acme 25.
But injuries continued to plague her and she ranked No.131 at the end of 2019. A defeat to Donna Vekić at the Australian Open in 2020 was the last lucifer of Sharapova's career as she announced her retirement from the game final February.
Undeniably, Maria Sharapova is one of the best players e'er to take graced the courts. She achieved a career Grand Slam and ranks among the greats, but her sporting success will always be overshadowed by two factors. One was in her control, the other was created by external forces.
The doping ban will remain a contentious consequence in hereafter discussions about Sharapova. In that location will e'er be questions near the genuinity of her excuse for taking a banned substance. She was open in confessing she had taken Meldonium for ten years, but her precious success is now undermined by the drug'southward inclusion on WADA'due south listing of banned substances.
Secondly, Serena. How can you be celebrated for the highest of sporting achievements when there is an unstoppable forcefulness commanding the tennis landscape and obstructing your chances of success? Sharapova will, without exception, always be compared to the greatest player of all time.
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Source: https://www.givemesport.com/1678557-under-the-spotlight-the-controversial-career-of-maria-sharapova
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