A statuesque 6-foot-2, Maria Sharapova was simply not built to be a clay-court wonder. Initially, her movement — perhaps the most important factor on clay — was, let’s just say, not great. At the same time, her big, bold strokes were muffled by the dirt, giving speedier, more mobile opponents time to run them down. Because she grew accustomed to short points, her fitness level never matched the quality of her shot-making.
In 2003, Sharapova lost her first-career main-draw match at Roland Garros. A 16-year-old qualifier, she fell 6-3, 6-3 to Magui Serna. A little over a year later on the lawn at Wimbledon, Sharapova scored one of the biggest upsets on a major stage, defeating two-time defending champion Serena Williams in a straight-sets final.
Hard to believe, at that point, that clay would eventually become Sharapova’s most successful surface in Grand Slam events. This remarkable evolution is a story of uncommon patience and perseverance, which in retrospect might have been Sharapova’s finest qualities.
“You’re not just born being a natural clay-court player — OK, maybe if you’re [Rafael] Nadal,” Sharapova said years later. “But certainly not me. I didn’t grow up on it, didn’t play on it. I just took it upon myself to make myself better on it.”
Still a teenager, she won the 2006 US Open and two years later at 20, the Australian Open. Despite her famously self-deprecating cow-on-ice remarks, Sharapova was a credible clay-court player. She reached the quarterfinals in Paris in 2004 and 2005, and in 2007 — the year of her embattled bovine comments — made it all the way to the semifinals.
But when her right shoulder disintegrated in late 2008, she was forced to miss the Olympics and would ultimately be out for nine months. It was a career-threatening injury, which required some serious surgery. Slowly, surely, Sharapova came back to compete at the highest level. While her serve was never the same, she compensated by becoming remarkably fit.
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“When you’re able to maybe spend a bit more time in the gym than you would have when you’re playing tournaments or not just on the court,” she said, “it gives you a good chance to build your leg strength and overall strength, which was important for me.”
It all came together on clay in 2012. Her opening 6-0, 6-0 win over Alexandra Cadantu in 48 minutes was a veritable warning shot to the field at…