Maria Sharapova just happy to be playing at Edgbaston
Jun 7 2009 Tennis by Robert Tanner, Birmingham Post
Tennis fans watching the AEGON Classic at Edgbaston Priory Club can expect to see a different Maria Sharapova from the one that has graced the competition in previous years.
The 22-year-old Russian is a firm favourite in Edgbaston after first announcing her arrival as a precocious 16 year-old and then lifting the title consecutively in 2004 and 2005.
She missed last year’s event because of a shoulder problem that would eventually require surgery and rule her out of action for nine months.
The former Wimbledon champion dropped down the world rankings and goes into this week’s event ranked just 102, but she has worked tirelessly to return to the professional tour and her quarter-final finishes at the Warsaw Open and the French Open have demonstrated she is on the road back.
However, what has been driving Sharapova is her renewed love of the game and while she still wants to win, she is now playing for the sheer joy of the sport, as the Edgbaston crowd will see this week.
“I think this sport gives me so much pleasure and just going out there gives me joy,” she said. “This was the first time in my career when I didn’t have the chance to pick up a racket on a daily basis.
“I think it was three months in a row that I woke up every day and I was either home or off for physiotherapy. It was very strange, as if I had something taken away from me.
“When I got back on the court I realised it was something I really loved to do.
“I don’t think there would be a reason why I would fight so hard and work so hard to get back out there if I didn’t love what I was doing.”
Sharapova is not expecting too much from herself this week as she continues her slow recovery and admits she will just take each round as it comes.
“At this point of my career and after such a long lay-off it is difficult for me to step out and expect myself to win every match I play,” she said.
“All I can do is ask myself to go out there, do the right things and try to get the job done. I have to get used to the feeling of the grass again. I haven’t spent much time on grass.
“I didn’t play this tournament last year because I needed a break between the two grand slams
“This is a good opportunity for me to get practising and to play the matches, and to go out and play a tournament where I have a lot of great memories.”
It may not be the last time Birmingham tennis fans see Sharapova either after the LTA announced it was in talks with Birmingham City Council and Edgbaston Priory about keeping the event in Birmingham.
