May 16, 2011
The hard part is not over for Maria Sharapova as far as winning the French Open of her career is concerned. Nevertheless, it certainly feels like it is.
In case you missed it, Sharapova scored a pretty major victory at the Italian Open over the weekend. She topped world No. 1 Carolina Wozniacki in the semifinals, and then easily dispatched Sam Stosur 6-2, 6-4 in the final match on Sunday.
The Italian Open is nothing if not a major clay-court tuneup for the French Open, which gets under way this Sunday. Thus, Sharapova is heading into Roland Garros with something that counts for a lot when it comes to the world of sports: momentum.
Better yet, Sharapova herself seems to realize this.
"This is just the beginning of many things to come. This is just the start of everything," she said on Sunday, according to the Associated Press.
Indeed, confidence is key. And when it comes to the French Open, Sharapova needs whatever help she can get. She has yet to advance to the final round in four tries at Roland Garros, and has only made it as far as the semifinals once.
Obviously, this has a lot to do with her ineptitude on clay, a surface that she once said made her feel like a "cow on ice."
While it's true enough that one victory on clay doesn't necessarily equal a trend, the fact that she so convincingly achieved that one victory could lead one to believe that she has turned some kind of corner as far as adapting her style of play to work on clay. And if Sharapova happens to come up against Wozniacki again, you could say she knows how to beat her now.
One way or another, Sharapova's Italian Open victory will make her one of the big favorites at Roland Garros. And with her victory over Wozniacki still fresh, Serena Williams still out with injuries, and Kim Clijsters returning from a pretty long layoff, there's really not much standing in her way.
That's a blessing, but it's also a curse. If Sharapova blows this chance, she might not get another.
We shall know in a little more than a week's time.
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