Sharapova Ready For Comeback

Maria Sharapova has struggled since injuring her right shoulder but is now declaring herself “one hundred per cent” healed after surgery and added: “I mean, if I wasn’t at that point, I certainly wouldn’t be playing. That’s why I took my time and gave myself a chance to really go out there and to feel like I didn’t have any excuses.”  I’m sure she’s happy after a disappointing performance at Wimbledon last month.

image: TSN

Sharapova will play in the Bank of West Tournament next week, the Los Angeles Women event the following week and then will head to the U.S. Open on August 31, 2009.

She’s never doubted her ability to bounce back from the injury: “By no means was it easy. Definitely I had ups and downs.  I had days where I had to push myself more than I’ve ever had to mentally than physically.  It all pays off. Obviously, just getting to be able to play tennis again is an achievement in itself. Now it’s about preparing myself, forgetting about what I went through, getting back into the form where I was – and even better.  At 22, you consider you’ve been playing on the Pro Tour that many years, (a comeback’s) definitely not a surprise.  It is a little surprising to see so many girls kind of coming out of the woodwork, and they’re so many years younger than you.  You’re like, ‘Where did the time go? But I enjoy every single year of it. As I get older, I become a much wiser person on the court. I learn a lot in life. A learn a lot from my profession, from what I do. I’m definitely not sad that the years are going by.”

I can only imagine!  It’s incredible to me to see how much a body can change in terms of strength and endurance in just a few years.  Suddenly, you look around and there’s all of these younger people zooming around you and it’s hard to believe that so much time has passed.  Obviously, 22 is very young for most things but when you look at professional sports and the Olympics, the athletes really don’t stay around that often when they reach their mid-twenties and thirties.  Of course, athletes like Dara Torres and Lance Armstrong prove that experience and age can sometimes work to one’s advantage so I’m hoping Sharapova will draw on all of her strengths.

She explained that it doesn’t feel good to stop playing but you “have to keep working on it. You have to keep getting it stronger.”  It’s so true.  How many of us have missed a couple days in our workout routines and find that even in just a day or two, the body has gotten weaker.

She added that she’ll be doing shoulder exercises for the rest of her career but that it’s part of the game.   She’s got a good attitude so I won’t be surprised if we see her take the tennis world by storm once again!