Revitalised and raring to go

SINGAPORE — A recurrent shoulder injury that began in 2008 took her out of the top 10, while an ankle injury kept her out of last year’s Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) year-end showpiece in Istanbul.

But now back in the pink of health, Maria Sharapova is keen to prove that she is still a force to be reckoned with. A decade after bursting into the limelight as a fearless 17-year-old who demolished two-time defending champion and top seed Serena Williams to win Wimbledon, Sharapova is relishing the opportunity of a repeat at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals, which starts here on Monday and will end on Oct 26.

While confessing that it had been frustrating being sidelined, 27-year-old Sharapova is in Singapore with renewed belief, bolstered by a career fifth Major — the French Open in June — and winning the China Open 11 days ago, her 33rd WTA title.

“I have been very happy with the season so far,” the Russian star told TODAY on the sidelines of a Porsche Singapore charity event yesterday.

“I did not think I was mentally and physically able to achieve something like this. But to be here 10 years later knowing I can still compete at the highest level at 27 and to win more Grand Slams give me a good feeling that I can do it for many years more. The past 10 years have been a big evolution for me as a person and as a player.”

Memories of her shoulder injury continue to haunt her, though the determination to come back stronger continues to motivate her.

“I had a shoulder surgery at 21, and it is not ideal,” said Sharapova. “Shoulder is a big part of a tennis player’s game ... Mentally, it has been challenging not getting better on court and having to sit out because of injuries, because while I get healthy, others are improving and winning games.”

Ask about her rivalry with Serena Williams and the glint in her eyes returns, as the Russian is aware that a decade has passed since she had last beat the American. And ending the 15-match losing streak here would be welcome, as it would take her back to the top of the rankings.

“To have a chance to play against each other here (Singapore) is great,” said Sharapova. “We, as competitors, go out on the court and play tennis matches at the end of the day, and that is the most important thing. To be in this position and have a chance to be No 1 is incredible.”

While Sharapova versus Williams may be the anticipated match-up, the Russian is mindful that there are others capable of crashing the party, among them Eugenie Bouchard, Simona Halep and Petra Kvitova, whom she had beaten in Beijing.

“It is great you have a younger generation that is doing incredibly well,” she said. “That is the way it should be, the evolution of tennis is that ultimately, you are going to get to the stage where I am, still competing with some players that I had played with 10 years ago, and some players have retired too. I am somewhere in the middle of that. I am still playing with older players, younger players in their 20s and teenagers, and that makes it a very competitive sport.”