May 08, 2009
Not long ago Maria Sharapova was standing on top of the tennis world. These days it’s rare to see her on a tennis court.
The former world No. 1 recently backed out of the Italian and Madrid Opens — two important tune-up events for next month’s French Open — as her shoulder continues to recuperate from rotator cuff surgery last October.
Sharapova has not taken part in a singles tournament since the Rogers Cup in Montreal last summer and speculation is quietly surfacing that the hard-hitting Russian may be losing the motivation that drove her to the top of her sport.
She was back in action briefly in March, falling in her first doubles match at Indian Wells with partner Elena Vesnina, and spoke about returning from the shoulder problems that have bothered her for years.
“It feels very good to be back, I just wanted to test it out,” she told the BBC after the match. “The hump I’ve got to get through right now is to put together two weeks of coming out to the court and playing two or three sets every day, and doing that for seven or eight days in a row."
But after sitting out the better part of the year, Sharapova may have found other ways to spend her time. Annabel Croft, former British No. 1 and current tennis commentator, told the Daily Mail that Sharapova has been having fun with other endeavours.
“For the first time, she’s enjoyed life away from tennis,” Croft said. “I understand she’s learned to cook, she’s done her fashion stuff and she’s had her eyes opened to another style of life to the one that she has known since she was four years old. She has a boyfriend, it appears, and zillions in the bank. I think she’s struggling to motivate herself.”
All of which is bad news for the WTA, which has enjoyed the attention Sharapova has brought to the game since she broke through as a 17-year-old, stunning Serena Williams in the Wimbledon final in 2004. Sharapova has fallen to No. 65 in the world since then, and the road back to the top will not be an easy one.
“She knows what she has to put herself through, emotionally and mentally, to be 100% committed to playing tennis and I can’t see her coming back,” Croft said.
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