Sharapova Coming Back...
Maria Sharapova has been off the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, although not out of the limelight, for four months with a shoulder injury. Sharapova, who has been rehabbing her shoulder in Arizona, is supposed to return to the Tour in 2009 in time to defend her 2008 Australian Open title. Some tennis players manage to return to competition after several months off and play very well, e.g. Serena Williams and Venus Williams. However, it is not an easy task to instantly play with the same level of confidence and
mental toughness when you haven’t been playing matches. For a player such as Sharapova, the challenge could be a bit tougher because she struggled with confidence in her serve and the subsequent double faults off and on for a year or so while she suffered with shoulder problems. At the same time, every player Sharapova faces will be looking to pull off an upset knowing that Maria will be a little shy of her usual confidence and match toughness. Sharapova will need to focus on getting through the early rounds in her first few tournaments where she’ll face the most pressure. Hopefully, if Maria can pass that test, then she will be able to hit more confidently later in the tournament.
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