June 29, 2011
With the Williams sisters exiting Wimbledon on the same day for the first time ever, Maria Sharapova automatically became the favorite in the minds of most experts.
The mystery is why. They talk about her history, which begs a simple question: do they live in a time warp?
Sure, she is the only former champion in the quarterfinals, but hasn’t the statute of limitations run out on that title she won all the way back in 2004? Her recent pedigree on grass is much more pedestrian.
Two of the quarterfinalists, Petra Kvitova and Tsvetana Pironkova, reached the semifinals of Wimbledon last year. Sharapova has not been that far since 2006 and, unlike five of the remaining eight, had not gotten past the fourth round since then until she beat Peng Shuai on Monday.
Two other quarterfinalists, Marion Bartoli and Sabine Lisicki, won grass-court titles in the two-week lead-up to Wimbledon. Sharapova has not won a trophy on grass in six years.
Kvitova has lost 15 games and been broken once while racing through the first four rounds. Sharapova has dropped 23 games and been broken six times.
Clearly, anyone who calls Sharapova the favorite is looking at her name rather than her game. Her lethal return of serve and ferocious intensity give her a shot against anyone, but they don’t eliminate her glaring weaknesses. She gets the yips on her serve in tight matches (see: Roland Garros semifinal against Li Na) and does not move as well as almost any of the other quarterfinalists.
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