MARIA SHARAPOVA has it all - the looks, the boyfriend, the £700,000 Porsche and the double handed backhand. But what she’d give for another Wimbledon title.
It’s a decade since her breakthrough win at the All England Club and the then giggly teenager has now established herself as one of the elder stateswoman of the game.
But in the intervening time she’s reached just one Wimbledon final, tamely losing to Petra Kvitová in 2011, and two semis.
Last year she was dumped out in the second round by Michelle Larcher de Brito, a player previously known only for having an even louder grunt than the Russian.
The day later treatment started on persistent shoulder injury at a London clinic - and she played just one more match that year.
Sharapova will open her 12th SW19 campaign against British wildcard Samantha Murray. And her recent win over Simona Halep in the French Open final has heightened the expectation.
“As soon as the French Open finished I was really excited about Wimbledon,” said Sharapova, now a fivetime Grand Slam champion.
“It’s going to be extra special knowing it’s ten years since my win there and it’s amazing to think where all that time has gone.
“So much has happened in the last decade. When I think of the injuries I’ve had to overcome, going back to the All England Club and getting reminded of that victory makes me feel proud and very lucky.”
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