Maria is Back!

.
After more than three years of draught - a period marked by a career-threatening shoulder injury and a slow, uneven comeback, Maria Sharapova returned to the big stage by reaching the sixth Grand Slam final of her career - and this at Wimbledon, the holy grail of tennis. In the semifinals, the new German wunderkind Sabine Lisicki found no means against a Maria Sharapova on a roll, and this though Sharapova hit countless double faults with her trademark unreliable serve. As a result of this tournament and the semfinals at Roland Garros, Sharapova returns to Ozeki (=Champion), a rank she held almost without interruption 2004-08. Lisicki earned a first-time Komusubi (=Junior Champion II) promotion, well deserved after eliminating Ozeki and French Open Champion Na Li and former Wimbledon finalist Marion Bartoli earier in the tournament.

This blog's wish, uttered more than two years ago, has therefore come true. Ladies' tennis needs badly the starpower and brilliance Sharapova can produce. And age 24, she may have many years of tennis at the highest level ahead of her.

In the final Sharapova will meet Czech Wimbledon specialist Petra Kvitova. In 2010 Kvitova lost only to Yokozuna (=Grand Champion) Serena Williams in the semifinals. This year she turned things around and won a hard-fought semifinal match over Viktoria Azarenka with impressive power and accuracy. Kvitova will get promoted to Sekiwake (=Junior Champion I) after this tournament - no matter how the final ends. She will share the rank with Marion Bartoli (up from Komusubi) and Vera Zvonareva. Zvonareva gets demoted from Ozeki, following a couple of disappointing slams at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. Azarenka will return to Komusubi.

For the Yokozuna Wimbledon was a disappointment. Kim Clisters had to sit the tournament out with an injury, and the Williams sisters both went out in the 4th round, failing to regain form in time after injurites. With no strong result in a year, Serena loses active Yokozuna status for the first time since 2006. Venus will follow suit if she fails to reach the semifinals at the U.S. Open.