Andrea Petkovic Of Germany Blasts Maria Sharapova In Fourth Round Of Australian Open.

Is Maria Sharapova finished as a grand slam contender? The question has to be asked because Maria Sharapova has only  reached one   grand slam quarterfinal since she won the Australian Open three years ago.  Andrea Petkovic of Germany, blasted Sharapova 6-2 6-3 in straight sets in the fourth round of the Australian Open.  Recently, Maria fired her long time tennis coach Michael Joyce and I think this was a good decision. However, I believe Maria’s problem is not about fitness, it is about her strategy on the tennis court. Maria needs to realize she can’t just hit the ball hard she needs a plan B or C to win matches now.

Maria needs to work on her serve, since Maria has returned from her shoulder injury she has served poorly. Maria had her shoulder surgery a few years ago and the media need to stop using it as an excuse. Sharapova’s serve dictated her game when she served well her game was powerful. She lacks the confidence because her serve is now a weakness. Sharapova needs to work hard on her serve to regain the consistency or she will continue to have poor results.

Next, I believe Maria needs to develop a net game. I am not suggesting that Maria become a serve and volley player, but I want her to play more doubles. Maria seems lost on the tennis court, and this is very sad. Women’s tennis needs Maria Sharapova because right now the WTA Tour is in a state of flux. The younger women are not developing and the older generation are starting to decline.

Meanwhile, Na Li of China destroyed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 6-3 6-3 to advance to the quaterfinals of the Australian Open. Top seed Caroline Wozniacki recovered from being down 1-3 in the first set to beat Anastasija Sevastova 6-3-6-4 to reach the next round. Francesca Schivaone of Italy outlasted Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4 1-6 16-14 in four hours and forty four minutes. Schiavone’s victory is the longest women’s match ever in grand slam history.