Lob and Smash
Fansided

Maria Sharapova: Wimbledon Loss Reveals Uncertain Future

By Harry Floyd

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 03: Maria Sharapova of Russia returns against Vitalia Diatchenko of Russia during their Ladies' Singles first round match on day two of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 3, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 03: Maria Sharapova of Russia returns against Vitalia Diatchenko of Russia during their Ladies' Singles first round match on day two of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 3, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Maria Sharapova is out at the 2018 Wimbledon Championships. The Russian tennis star may not have another Grand Slam win in her.

Maria Sharapova is yet to return to her previous dominant form since stepping away from the sport. The Russian tennis legend served a suspension from the WTA Tour due to the use of a banned substance. Returning in early 2017, Sharapova has broken back into the WTA Top 25 and notched a title, but another Grand Slam singles win could be hard to come by.

Women’s singles tennis is packed with an endless amount of talent right now and veterans such as Sharapova may not be able to compete.

More from Lob and Smash

Sharapova falls to Russian qualifier Vitalia Diatchenko in her Wimbledon opener. Diatchenko takes a hard fought three set victory, going 6-7 (3), 7-6 (3), 6-4 over the 2004 women’s singles champion. Sharapova has just one title at the Grand Slam event in London. That is now fourteen years ago and it’s doubtful whether or not she’ll be able to recover to her brilliant form.

At 31-years-old, Sharapova must compete with the likes of younger stars such as Simona Halep, Caroline Wozniacki, Sloane Stephens, Elina Svitolina, and Madison Keys among others.

Even other veterans like Angelique Kerber and Petra Kvitova have fared better than Sharapova in recent years. The time away from the WTA Tour appears to have set the Russian great back further than she would have liked. She will need to bounce back from this loss quickly if she hopes to make a run at the fourth and final Grand Slam tournament of the year.

Maria Sharapova is stunned at the 2018 Wimbledon Championships. She falls to fellow countrywoman Vitalia Diatchenko in three sets.

Next: Must Watch WTA Stars

Diatchenko overcame apparent injuries during her meeting with Maria Sharapova. The younger Russian has struggled throughout her career with injuries but is moving on this week at Wimbledon. With the 2004 champion out of the mix, the path to a title opens up slightly for other favorites such as Halep, Wozniacki, and defending champion Garbine Muguruza.

Home/Wimbledon