One person resisting the temptation to talk about Maria Sharapova in the past tense is the player herself. yesterday, the Russian once again disappointed those who insist on regarding her as the queen of the court, albeit one whose lustre has faded. Instead, after going out in the fourth round in two quick sets to Andrea Petkovic, she was a persuasive advocate for putting tennis in perspective.
"There's a lot more in life than hitting a tennis ball," she said. "We can talk about so many cases around the world. We're all pretty fortunate to be able to do what we do, win or lose. Obviously wins bring you a lot of smiles and laughter – but this is sport. It's your career and your choice."
She acknowledged that Petkovic, who is ranked No33 in the world, 17 places below her, had played her off the court in winning 6-2, 6-3. The German looks in fine shape for her first quarter-final here, against Li Na of China. However, when asked how she was coping with her decline, Sharapova bridled.
"I have done many things in my career," she said. "I've won many matches and been No1 in the world and also had an opportunity to say that I've had enough. I could do many other things in my life. I have enough money; I have a great family around me. But when I was away from the sport [all] I wanted to do was to wake up in the morning and not put my ballerinas on, but to put on my Nikes and go out there and run and play. When it was taken away from me, I realised how much I loved it. When you go through it every single day, you almost forget. Then you take a step back and say, 'I miss this.' I really wanted it."
Sharapova joins Venus Williams, Justine Henin, Ana Ivanovic, Dinara Safina and Jelena Jankovic in the ranks of former world No1s to leave this Australian Open before the quarter-finals. Hers, though, was a departure that cut a little deeper with the faithful.
She understands why she has been elevated above the herd. She knows her smile, blonde hair and marketable allure are part of the deal. She has played her part in it. She lives the life in California, on the circuit, where ever she wishes, and is engaged to a New Jersey Nets basketball star, Sasha Vujacic.
Those assets and the lifestyle are in place. It is her tennis that has gone missing, her serve wobbling like a broken windmill after struggles with a shoulder injury and long periods of disillusion, her confidence ebbing by the match. She wants to find all that again.
"I could sit here and pinpoint every single bad thing that I did," she said. "There are many things that didn't work. I didn't get my first break point until it was a set and 5-1. That's not the type of tennis I want to be playing, especially on the return.
"I didn't put any pressure on her serve whatsoever. I wasn't up love‑30 or anything on her service games. That's not the way to play a match. But you can also look at the good things throughout the week and try to improve on that. Last year I was gone on Monday. I stayed here a little bit longer this year. This is the beginning of the year. I always look forward to many things, whether I lose easy, whether I win easy."
She reflected also on the remarkable achievement of Francesca Schiavone and Svetlana Kuznetsova, who were engaged in their marathon match nearby.
"It just shows that, no matter what, if we're in the fourth round or the first, in the final, that is why they put the nets up in the morning is to play that match. It doesn't matter what you're seeded, ranked, who you're playing. That's why they open up that tennis can and have those umpires and the net goes up and the match is in front of you. No matter who the favourite is, you got to finish it."
She is determined to finish it her way. Sharapova is 23.
Maria Sharapova Australian Open 2011
Maria Sharapova Australian Open 2011
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