DPA/Stuttgart
Maria Sharapova said yesterday she has recovered from a leg injury and is fit to play at the Porsche Grand Prix where she seeks a fourth straight title this week.
“I am doing much better. I have been practicing for six or seven days now,” the 28-year-old Russian told reporters. “I hope to work myself into the tournament.”
Sharapova is the top seed in a star-studded Stuttgart field with eight players from the top 10 in the rankings present. It is her clay season debut and Sharapova aims to rebound from a modest US hard court season which saw her lose in the second round in Miami and in the last 16 in Indian Wells.
The recent injury kept Sharapova out of last weekend’s Fed Cup semi-final against Germany which Russia won 3-2.
She said she was also not sure whether she would play in final in November against holders Czech Republic because that time is normally her off-season, and she needs to recharge her batteries for 2016 which has the Rio de Janeiro Olympics as an additional highlight next to the regular big events.
“Those are usually the two weeks that I take off. I am looking at next year, the Olympics and the depth of the year. It will be an important and critical decision. I have never been part of the final in Fed Cup before,” Sharapova said.
“I will weigh all my options ... but next year is a very big year and I want to be healthy and ready for it. So I might not be playing.”
Sharapova has a career grand slam but also wants an Olympic gold in what could be her last Games, after being beaten by world number one Serena Williams in the London 2012 final.
But first comes Stuttgart where Sharapova has won all her 12 matches for the past three titles and with another trophy Sunday would match American Tracey Austin who won the first four editions of the tournament, then in Filderstadt, between 1978 and 1981.
Sharapova started the year with victory in Brisbane and a runner-up finish to Williams at the Australian Open, and now hopes to return to winning ways in the build-up to the French Open Grand Slam.
“It is always a nice feeling to come back to a tournament where you have a really good record. I have had some great matches, great memories. I have played some of the best matches in my career on that court,” she said.
World number two Sharapova could face the heat in the rankings from Simona Halep who is just 319 points behind her in third place, and flying high after titles in Dubai and Indian Wells plus a Miami semi-final.
The four top seeds, which also include Petra Kvitova and the 2011 runner-up Caroline Wozniacki, have a first-round bye.
Wozniacki has 2015 titles from Auckland and Kuala Lumpur, and is currently working with former Spanish star Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario who won 18 of her 29 career titles on clay, including three French Opens.
“I worked with her for a few weeks in Miami. The last clay court seasons haven’t been the best for me. I thought it would be perfect for me to consult with her and get some tactical advice,” the Dane Wozniacki said.
Maria Sharapova is the top seed in a star-studded Stuttgart field.
