Ever since Maria Sharapova underwent shoulder surgery in October 2008, watching her has been a bit like watching ice skating at the Olympics only for the falls. In Sharapova’s case, she struggled to serve with her repaired rotator cuff, with second attempts limping to the net and falling short.
Recommended Stories
But both the 24-year-old Russian’s serve and confidence have rounded into form to match her bludgeoning ground strokes, which she belted with abandon to capture the Rome Masters on Sunday, her first victory in five consecutive finals appearances.
A return to favorite status headed into the French Open could put Sharapova back on track to fulfilling her potential — not that she hasn’t already been overwhelmingly successful. Sharapova hasn’t won a major since the ’08 Australian Open, but her 23 career titles sit behind only Venus Williams (43), Kim Clijsters (41) and Serena Williams (37) among active players.
