Sharapova living sweet life, but tough Paris test ahead
Douglas Robson, USA TODAY Sports
Maria Sharapova might be favored to repeat at the French Open, if not for Serena Williams.
Defending French Open champion Maria Sharapova has the claycourt cred, the No. 2 ranking and the big-tournament savoir faire for anyone's shortlist of Roland Garros favorites.
But with Serena Williams at the top of her game and dominating women's tennis, Sharapova is a long shot to be a repeat winner at the French Open, which begins Sunday.
Not that Sharapova buys into that in the slightest, despite her 2-13 record against Williams.
"The more opportunities you get, the better chance of you going and getting the job done," Sharapova flatly tells USA TODAY Sports.
The 26-year-old Russian did break a 13-set losing streak to Williams this spring at the final in Miami, where Sharapova led by a set and a break. A few loose errors allowed Williams to win come roaring back in a 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 smackdown.
"With a player like that who is an incredible champion and has so much experience and confidence, you really can't give her that," said Sharapova, admitting she took her foot off the pedal.
But whatever real estate Williams occupies in her mind, Sharapova dances around the idea of a psychological block. Her former coach says otherwise.
"I feel like she gives in a little to easy to Serena," says Michael Joyce, Sharapova's full-time traveling coach from 2005-2011. "That has to change if she is to have a chance."
After all, Joyce adds, Williams is as vulnerable to nerves as the next player and hasn't been past the French Open quarterfinals in a decade. Who can for forget her shocking first-round loss to 111th-ranked Virginie Razzano in last year's French Open?
"She's human, too," Joyce says of Williams, whose sole title in Paris was in 2002.
Williams has 'revenge' going
But Williams, a 15-time major winner, arrives in Paris with three consecutive titles on clay and a career-best 24-match winning streak.
"The level she's at when she's playing well, I don't think anybody can beat her," John McEnroe said in a conference call with reporters.
Williams, 31, has held particular dominion over Sharapova for almost a decade. The No. 1 American has won their last 12 matches, last losing in 2004, mocking the idea of a rivalry.
While Williams is clearly a poor matchup — she can match Sharapova's power, moves better and serves with more consistency — the problem is more than X's and O's.
"What else does Serena do better than most? Revenge," ESPN's Pam Shriver says of the psychological dynamics following Sharapova's surprising upset of Williams in the 2004 Wimbledon final. "That final loss has been a huge motivator for Serena each time they play."
There are other contenders in Paris, such as 2011 Roland Garros winner Li Na and reigning Australian Open champ Victoria Azarenka. But no two women have been as impressive on clay as Sharapova and Williams the past two seasons.
Sharapova's win against Sara Errani in last year's French Open final capped a career Grand Slam and catapulted her to the No.1 ranking for the first time since coming back from shoulder surgery in October 2008.
"I was really happy I was able to conquer those two achievements in those two weeks," she said. "It's always nice when both of them fall on the same timeline."
Not long after transitioning from hard courts to clay this spring, Sharapova's feet tangled together so awkwardly that she found herself nearly somersaulting on the baseline. "I was like, 'Did I really win the French Open?' " she laughed of the memory.
As with other setbacks in her mostly bodacious life – career-threatening shoulder surgery, unkind messages on Twitter, her physical limits -- Sharapova shrugs it off and moves on. That quality could be useful, especially if she takes her expected place in the Roland Garros final against Williams next month.
Staying power
If Sharapova possesses an innate imperviousness to adversity — epitomized by the mental reset button she hits by turning away from opponents between points — it has not impeded her ability to evolve.
Since winning Wimbledon at 17 in 2004 and wowing Madison Avenue with her combination of looks, charm and talent, the Siberian-born, Florida-trained Sharapova has passed the threshold into adulthood skillfully.
The women's game is filled with teenage phenoms who could not sustain their dominance due to mental, psychological or physical flaws, from Andrea Jaeger to Jennifer Capriati to Jelena Dokic. In contrast, Sharapova has survived and thrived.
Even after a 10-month layoff in 2008-09 from right shoulder surgery, Sharapova returned to the top of the sport. A testament to staying power: she got her 500th win in Madrid this month, the 36th woman to do so and youngest among active WTA players.
A true crossover star, she can walk A-list carpets, hobnob with titans of business or curl up with a book in her stunning Manhattan Beach, Calif., home. She routinely ranks as the highest-paid female athlete by Forbes — $27.9 million in 2012. But her fundamental identity and happiness still hinge on competition.
"I absolutely love what I am able to do on the court, the tough and the good days," Sharapova says. "I appreciate both sides."
While her father, Yuri Sharapov, is living the good life crisscrossing the globe skiing and hiking — Sharapova calls it "permanent vacation" — she plies away trying to get incrementally better at whacking a little yellow ball.
"She's beautiful, wealthy, with a Hall of Fame career, but the hunger hasn't seemed to subside one percent," says Tracy Austin, who won her first of two U.S. Opens at 16. "I've enjoyed watching her develop."
What keeps it fresh for Sharapova is that she has internalized her satisfaction rather than playing to validate herself: "It's become much more personal for me than showing to the world that I won. Before I was like, 'Wow, I achieved this. Look what I did!' Now my victories are mine. I'm much more grateful inside and I could really care less about anyone else."
Claycourt improvement
Few would have been surprised to see Sharapova end her career without a Roland Garros title. Her lanky 6-2 frame facilitates first-strike pop -- she loves playing on grass and prefers faster surfaces.
Sharapova 5-21-13
Clay's properties — slower pace, more irregular and higher bounces, less stable footing — accentuate her weaknesses.
She struggled with her footwork, had trouble keeping the ball in her wheelhouse and didn't like to grind. The overall effect caused her to famously compare her movement on clay to a "cow on ice."
But Sharapova has undergone a striking turnaround.
By working on her strength and movement the last two years with her full-time physical trainer, Yutaka Nakamura, she learned to hold her own in long rallies and play better defensive tennis.
Under coach Thomas Hogstedt, she added some spin to her flat forehand, providing a bit of extra margin, and stabilized her serve.
Voila! Sharapova began racking up wins on dirt.
Five of her last six titles have come on clay, including at Stuttgart this month; before 2008 she had won only once on that surface. Since returning from her shoulder injury in 2009, she is 54-8 (.871) on clay, compared to 39-13 previously.
Some say she has benefitted from a lack of topflight clay competition in women's tennis since the first of two retirements by four-time French Open champion Justine Henin of Belgium in 2008.
Sharapova counters that she drew inspiration from seven-time French Open winner Rafael Nadal – not because of his prowess on clay but because he, too, was once considered unlikely to make the transition to grass. But he won at Wimbledon in 2008 and 2010.
"I don't think it's about the court that suits the player," Sharapova said. "It's about the player that works his way around to suit the court."
Sharapovanomics
Off court, she recently inked a multimillion dollar deal with German automaker Porsche, adding to a stable of endorsements such as Head, TAG Heuer, Nike, Cole Haan, Evian and Samsung.
Her self-launched candy line, Sugarpova, has taken off beyond her expectations and debuts in Paris this week at swanky retailer Colette.
Next year, Sharapova will squeeze in a visit to Sochi, host of the 2014 Winter Olympics and where she moved as a young girl; she was a quasi ambassador for the city during the bidding process. She carried the flag at the opening ceremonies last year in London but does not expect any formal role in Sochi. She does have "a few things in the works" and takes pride in seeing Sochi hit the international spotlight.
"That was one of my goals the second I woke up and heard that it was going to be held there," said Sharapova, who moved to the USA when she was 7. "When I told people I moved from Sochi they were like, 'Huh? Excuse me? Where?' I constantly had to explain about the city and where it was and its beauty. I hope that will no longer have to be the case."
She was late to Twitter but enjoys being able to connect with fans in a more personal way, even if some can leave harsh comments. Five years ago the criticism might have gotten under her skin. Now it slides off like the best non-stick cooking pan.
"It doesn't bother me anymore," she says. "Now I read it and I'm like, 'Oh that's funny.' I move on and don't think twice about it."
Will she be able to say the same about summoning her best and steeling herself on the big points against a resurgent Williams?
Whatever the fortnight brings — another French Open title, one more demoralizing loss to Williams, or something unexpected — Sharapova says she will continue to give her all.
"As long as I have the competitive spirit," she says, "that's how I know I'll still be in it."
i don’t have time to type it in Russian, sorry