Well-rested Maria Sharapova guns for Wimbledon success

Maria Sharapova playing against Samantha Stosur at Roland Garros earlier this year

Sometimes a loss acts as a blessing in disguise. Being far away from the battle scene helps a player take some well-earned rest, introspect, and quietly prepare for bigger challenges ahead.

Take Rafael Nadal for example. The Spaniard, who was dethroned early in his clay empire at the French Open, turned his focus quickly to the green turf. Having been desperately searching for a string of wins on the slick surface for the past three years, Nadal used this opportunity to claim his first grasscourt title after five long years.

The King of Clay’s situation bears a striking resemblance to how Maria Sharapova’s fortunes have unfolded over the two sides of the English Channel in the recent past.

Both Nadal and Sharapova arrived at SW19 for the past three years having played the final match at Roland Garros. With just a fortnight between the two Slams, the two Career Slammers struggled to replicate their former glory on the hallowed courts of Wimbledon.

While Nadal’s losses have been particularly devastating, Sharapova did not fare much better either. The former World No. 1 has not progressed beyond the fourth round since 2011.

Benefit of the extra week of the grasscourt season

All that could change with the extra week of the grass season that players have been blessed with in 2015.

Perhaps even more so for the Russian, who had been suffering from a cold that robbed her of her usual sharpness and precision at the French Open. Sharapova, who reached the peak of her clay season this year in Rome, could not find the answers to a thoroughly inspired Lucie Safarova, who eventually went on to make the final.

Having fallen as early as the second Monday in Paris, the five-time Grand Slam champion got a welcome near four-week break to relax and rejuvenate herself with time away from tennis. With numerous posts and photos on her Twitter and Instagram accounts, the Russian offered snippets of how she had indulged herself into reading books and promoting her products.

Sharapova chose not to play in any warm-up events – a decision which was deemed sensible given her packed schedule on clay. The breather provided plenty of opportunity to heal herself and bond with her team – a prerequisite before making the big switch to the pacy game on the green turf.

Sharapova herself appreciated the little extra time that could brighten her prospects at the Slam which she won as a 17-year-old.

“I think it’s great. It’s nice to have a little extra time. I want to prepare myself and train and not think about where I will be in four weeks. As an athlete, we want to try to be at the highest level, but to get there you know what your formula is. On the clay this year I started getting that rhythm again by the time Rome came around. It was a little bit tough to keep that going in the last couple of weeks, but that’s what it is. So now, I’ll get back to the basics,” the Russian had said after her defeat to Safarova at Roland Garros.

And getting back to the basics is what she has been doing ahead of the year’s third Slam. A thorough believer of putting in the hard yards in training, Sharapova hasn’t participated in a grasscourt tune-up event since losing the Birmingham final in 2010.

The following year, she reached the Wimbledon final where she fell to an incredible Petra Kvitova. But the Czech, who is once again the defending champion, has just pulled out of WTA Eastbourne due to a viral illness.

With Kvitova’s health remaining questionable, Sharapova might just use this chance to make her first ride to the final in four years, should they meet in the semi-finals.

The possible spectre of Serena Williams in the semis

Serena (L) with Sharapova after defeating her at the Australian Open this year.

But there’s a serious danger lurking for Maria Sharapova now that she has fallen to No. 4 in the rankings. She might have to contend with the seemingly insurmountable obstacle of Serena Williams in the semis if they are placed in the same half of the draw.

A 2-17 record against the 20-time major champion does not evoke much confidence, but this is where it all began for Sharapova.

You can never count her out; her competitive instinct is simply exemplary. And a well-rested Sharapova will be an even bigger threat for everybody else in the draw.

“With hard work, I know what I can do, and how I will feel. That's the most important thing, just to get healthy, to give myself a chance to prepare, and whether that means a warm-up tournament, or just getting extra days on the grass or training physically on it, then that’s what it will end up being,” she said.

“By the time Wimbledon comes around, I know that I will be ready,” she added.

Does that sound like a warning to the rest of the field?