Последнее слово - Мария Шарапова
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The Last Word: WTA No. 4, Maria Sharapova
By Peter Bodo - Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Best of 2011
In Rome, Sharapova found the magic once again and played like the dominant champion of years past. She ripped through the field without losing a set. Starting in the quarterfinals, she toppled three of this year′s top performers—Victoria Azarenka, Caroline Wozniacki, and Sam Stosur.
Worst of 2011
In a year when Sharapova was deceptively consistent, given her ongoing struggle with a shoulder injury and the service yips, it had to be her third-round loss in Toronto to No. 135 Galina Voskoboeva.
Year in Review
The way Sharapova has struggled since her shoulder surgery in late 2008 might have left the impression that she’s woefully inconsistent, but her record proves otherwise. She was in four finals this year, and won two (Rome and Cincinnati).
After an unexpected fourth-round loss to then up-and-coming Andrea Petkovic, almost all her losses were to quality players—the likes of Wozniacki, Petra Kvitova, Stosur, Li Na and Serena Williams. Not bad for a woman who at times struggled so mightily with her serve and her ball control that you almost had to wince and look away. That’s a tribute to Sharapova’s greatest asset, her determination and guts.
Sharapova really began to find her game on the courts she prefers during the two big, late-winter events in the U.S. (losing to Wozniacki in the semis of Indian Wells and to Azarenka in the Miami final). But her performance on the Euroclay was eye-opening after she lost in the third round at Madrid to giant-killer Dominka Cibulkova. After winning Rome, Sharapova played a solid match in the Roland Garros semifinals, but she was up against destiny’s child, Li.
Sharapova kept rolling through the grass-court season, but she didn’t have enough defense or consistency in the Wimbledon final to stop the winners streaming off the racquet of Kvitova.
Perhaps the low point of her year was a loss to Serena in a much-hyped Stanford quarterfinal. The match between the resurgent Russian and the former No. 1, who had been out for almost a full year, was nothing more than a 6-1, 6-3 Williams blowout.
That loss may help explain the puzzler against Voskoboeva at Sharapova’s next event, but she soon was back on track. She won the Cincinnati title in an ugly break-fest over Jelena Jankovic, but couldn’t find an adequate level in the third round of the U.S. Open against Flavia Pennetta. After Sharapova made the quarters of Tokyo (l. to Kvitova) her year ended ominously when she pulled out of the WTA Championships with a bad ankle after taking two losses in round-robin play.
See for Yourself
This highlight from the Rome semifinals illustrates why Sharapova has won multiple majors while Wozniacki, on the losing end here, has yet to bag her first—despite being the most consistent winner on the tour for two years now. To win big, you need to be willing and able to take the game to your opponent. End of story.
The Last Word
Sharapova had a great year. One which most women would kill for. So what’s wrong with this picture? Well, her aggressive game and firepower were not enough to keep two women (Li and Kvitova) from winning their first major titles, and in a litmus-test match, Sharapova looked terrible against Serena. The spirit is willing but the flesh has not been prepared to do what it takes against the best and most dangerous players.
—Peter Bodo
