May 18, 2009
The unloved child of the grass court season, the Aegon Classic, based at Edgbaston Priory, is set to be given a spot of TLC as Russian superstar Maria Sharapova is expected to be confirmed as the top name for next month's event.
Only ten days ago the tournament, which will the last to be held in Birmingham after a run of 27 years, had not had any players confirmed until British No 1 Anne Keothavong and last year's Wimbledon semi finalist Jie Zheng expressed their intention to play.
But neither can claim to add even a fraction of the glamour Sharapova brings and organisers will be delighted to have tempted such a big name to the Tier III event.
Thankfully Sharapova, the Queen of Edgbaston after two previous victories in the tournament, has intimated she wants to play in Birmingham and all that remains is an announcement from the Lawn Tennis Association.
That will come just a day after the 22-year-old made her comeback to tennis after nine months out injured with a morale-boosting 6-1, 6-7 (6), 6-3 victory over Italy’s Tathiana Garbin.
But that came in a clay court event in Warsaw and, while Sharapova will use this week as a springboard for the French Open, it will be a return to Wimbledon and the lawns of England that excites her most.
Having spent 17 weeks as world No 1 the Americanised Siberian is now ranked at 126 as a result of not having played any singles match since August last year because of a shoulder problem.
That forced her to miss the US Open, the Australian Open and every event since with just one doubles match at Indian Wells in March her only competitive action of 2009.
Her comeback is a massive boost for a tournament, formerly known as the DFS Classic, which has had trouble selling tickets, due in part to the confusion over its future.
Sharapova burst on to the tennis scene when she won the DFS Classic in 2004 as a 17-year-old. Three weeks later she won her first Wimbledon title.
She returned to successfully defend her DFS Classic title the following year and, in 2007 was beaten in the final by Jelena Jankovic.
Resources :http://www.birminghampost.net
Maria Sharapova is hoping to improve her chances of winning Wimbledon this year by competing in Birmingham next month. The former Wimbledon champion has missed the last two majors - the US and Australian Opens - with a serious shoulder injury, but made a successful comeback following surgery this week.Now the Russian is setting her sights on the All England club, with a quick stop off at the Edgbaston Priory and June's AEGON Classic, which she won in 2004 and 2005.
"Birmingham is a really special tournament for me and I always get great support," Sharapova said. "I've won there twice before and I always feel very welcome. It's excellent preparation for Wimbledon."
Resources :http://www.24hoursport.co.uk/
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