Sharapova exits as other seeds advance

Maria Sharapova is out of Wimbledon. Perhaps that is worth repeating: Maria Sharapova will play no further part in the 123rd Wimbledon Championships. The crowd favourite and 2004 champion was beaten in three fraught and painful sets by Gisela Dulko 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 in the second round, her worst result here since – well, since here last year. Of course, she has only been back in action for just over a month after surgery on a long-term shoulder injury. Still feeling her way back, she is nowhere near her best yet. Given the chance to dispatch a wounded superstar, Dulko leapt on it. Pulling Sharapova into parts of the court she did not like – the net being one of them – she was within touching distance of a place in the third round before the hour was up. Had it not been for her own nerves and Sharapova’s famed fighting spirit, she could have been back in the locker room in two sets. But once Sharapova had completed a run of seven straight games to level the sets and take the early lead in the third, it became blindingly obvious that the Russian was running out of steam. Her shoulder could not take a two hour workout and as the Sharapova serve disintegrated, Dulko gathered her courage in both hands and closed out the match on her fifth match point. “I just couldn’t go up and hit my serve with the same velocity as the first two sets,” Sharapova said. “I thought I served pretty good the first two sets. But as far as pace, I thought it really slowed down. I didn’t have enough juice on it.” For Sharapova, the future remains uncertain. In order to get back to what she would regard as an acceptable level, she needs to play matches, but in order to put a string of matches together, her shoulder needs to be strong enough to win some of them. So, for now, it is back to the drawing board. Elsewhere on the courts of Wimbledon, it was a largely routine day. Leading lights Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams and Elena Dementieva advanced with the minimum of fuss. One of the men tipped as a dark horse in the draw, Croatia's Marin Cilic, was given Centre Court billing for his “battle of the big hitters” with American Sam Querrey (and the crowd was treated to a five-set battle that proved a big hit). And German Tommy Haas won some more fans on No.1 Court. After his match against Michael Llodra ended abruptly with the Frenchman’s bizarre injury (a collision with umpire’s chair and ballgirl), he gave the crowd a bit more value for money with a brief knock-up against the ballgirls and ballboys. All this only left one big question to be answered. Where was Mirka Federer, the usually ever-present wife of Roger who is eight-and-a-half months pregnant and was not in the Centre Court box today to watch his straight sets romp past Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. In the post-match press conference, Mr Federer explained that Mrs Federer was feeling a little less than 100% (not something that could be said about his on-court displays so far) and was relaxing away from the action. But he was still keeping mum on the subject everyone wanted an answer to – when exactly is baby Federer expected to put in an appearance? If Mirka doesn’t return to watch his next match, it may be wise to wonder whether baby number one might just arrive in time to witness Wimbledon title number six.

Sharapova shocked in second round defeat

Maria Sharapova fights back against Gisela Dulko during their match on Centre Court. Gisela Dulko outlasted Maria Sharapova in a three-set thriller on Centre Court on Wednesday. The Russian battled back from a set down and saved four match points in the final game with a stunning array of audacious shots, but Dulko remained calm to best her storied opponent and set up a third-round clash with No. 10 seed Nadia Petrova. Despite Sharapova being a former Wimbledon champion (the second youngest in the Open era, taking the 2004 title at the age of 17), a two-time semi-finalist and the 24th seed, she began the match ranked 15 places below her opponent – a fact due in no small part to the Russian’s nine-month absence from the courts due to an injury to her right shoulder. She made her comeback in Warsaw and reached the quarter-finals at Roland Garros, winning four three-setters on the way and also made the last four at Edgbaston prior to arriving in London. Dulko, meanwhile, has been there or thereabouts since entering the top 50 in 2004, without ever threatening a genuine breakthrough. She defeated Jelena Jankovic at Miami this year, but has only eight wins over top 10 opponents after almost a decade on the circuit. The Argentine certainly made the better start of the two, holding serve twice either side of an early break to race into a 3-0 lead. Her service was crisp – a high toss before sending the ball straight down the middle from the deuce court or deep into the corner on the advantage side – and Sharapova was a step slow to every ball. Though she settled into a better rhythm, the Russian conceded another break in the eighth game to hand Dulko the opening set. The Buenos Aires native again pulled three games clear in the second set before losing her radar on service. Sharapova rightly decided to play percentage tennis: Dulko retreated behind the baseline and reduced her approaches to the net, allowing the Russian to vary her depth of shot and move her opponent about the court at will. From 3-0 down, Sharapova rattled off six games in a row to pave the way for a deciding set. Early breaks were the order of the day, but after both players had settled back into rhythm, Dulko stole Sharapova’s serve, this time to love, in the psychologically crucial seventh game. The 22-year-old Siberian soon found herself facing two match points when Hawk-Eye ruled against her after an ambitious Dulko forehand clipped the outside of the line. But she saved them both, pulling off an ice-cool drop-shot that had the crowd gasping. A stunning long-line backhand saved a third match point and a fourth also came and went before Hawk-Eye again intervened to give the Argentine a fifth bite at the cherry, and this time there was to be no reprieve. Sharapova sent a simple forehand long and Dulko was through, equalling her best Wimbledon performance to date. Three-time Grand Slam winner Sharapova will hopefully return fitter and stronger next year, but for a few fleeting moments in the face of adversity, she showed what the women’s game has been missing during her long enforced absence. Centre Court - Ladies' Singles - 2nd Round Maria Sharapova RUS (24) 2 6 4 Gisela Dulko ARG 6 3 6

Maria stays positive despite defeat

Maria Sharapova is out of Wimbledon with a shock second round defeat to Gisela Dulko. There’s a lot to be said for positive thinking and that is the approach Maria Sharapova is taking as she slowly digests her second round defeat to Gisela Dulko this afternoon. The No. 24 seed was in a philosophical mood as she addressed the press following her 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 loss and would not be drawn into making excuses for the match that slipped away. “It took me a while to get going. It’s a little too late to start picking yourself up when you’re down a set and 3-0. You know, it’s a little late,” she said matter of fact. “There was no real grey area today. But it’s just the way it was. I had so many easy balls, and I just made unforced errors from those. I don’t really know if that’s because I haven’t played. You know, when I’ve had those situations before, those balls would be pieces of cake, and today they weren’t. But it’s okay.” So the nagging shoulder injury had nothing to do with the loss? “No, no pain at all.” In fact, the Russian refused to blame her health in any way for the defeat and pointed out the importance of looking at the bigger picture. “My career is a huge part of my life, and that’s what I do on a daily basis. So is it frustrating when that goes away for a while? Absolutely. But if you have a good head on your shoulders, you also know that there’s a life to live. And if you stay positive, everything’s gonna be all right, no matter what – no matter how bad the injury is.” 'I would have liked to have a longer season before coming here, but that’s just the way it is' Only two days before, the Russian had expressed her delight at being able to compete in the tournament, which she won as the age of 17 in 2004. And today the 22-year-old reiterated the fact that she was glad to be here. “I wasn’t kidding when I said just being here is a wonderful accomplishment. I’m not lying about it. I had the pleasure of playing on Centre Court again. I didn’t play on it last year. This whole event, there’s nothing I don’t like about it. I enjoy every single minute of it.” And then more measured comments began to flow. “Losses are tough. More here than at any other tournament. But, you know, it puts some perspective into your life. It’s all right. I have many more years ahead of me. It’s just unfortunate, the timing of my comeback and this only being the fourth tournament. I would have liked to have a longer season before coming here, but that’s just the way it is." So what bodes for the future? “I just have to look forward to the next few tournaments and work myself, work hard on the court, go out, play the few tournaments and hopefully be ready for the US Open.” Indeed, the positive thinking and small steps certainly get the thumbs up from Serena Williams, who admits it is tough to get back to the top level following an absence from the game. “It’s definitely no easy feat,” Williams said. “You have to be really focused, as she is. And I think she is doing everything right.” Watch this space.

Shoulder to blame? Maria has problems to solve

Maria Sharapova is forced to stretch during her second round defeat to Gisela Dulko You had to wonder what Maria Sharapova was up to. Was this a double bluff? Or was the 2004 winner really baring her soul to her adoring public? When she told everyone to look elsewhere for the Wimbledon winner, should we have believed her? The answer, it transpired, was “yes”. Oh, my, yes. Sharapova, who announced at the start of the tournament that she was not a contender for the title, was bundled out in the second round by Gisela Dulko 6-2, 3-6, 6-4. We would, indeed, have to look elsewhere for this year’s champion. After two years of recurring problems, Sharapova finally gave in and had surgery to repair the damage to the rotator cuff in October. There then followed months of physio and rehab before she was allowed back to work in the middle of May. After so long thinking and worrying about the injury, now she cannot stop. To put it bluntly: she cannot get her shoulder out of her head – and that doesn’t half make playing tennis difficult. “It's funny because sometimes I'll be in the middle of the match and I'll find myself thinking about the progression of the shoulder, how it's feeling,” she said. “The shoulder has just been the focus in so many areas on a daily basis for the last couple of years. I think it's also just a matter of forgetting about it and just playing.” If only Dulko could have just forgotten about Sharapova and just played. In two previous matches against the Russian, she had won just three games and yet in less than an hour she had trebled that tally and led the former champion 6-2, 3-0. And that was when she thought “Cor, lumme – I’m beating Shazza on Centre Court”, at which point she promptly stopped beating Shazza and lost the next seven games on the trot. Sharapova may not think she is a contender for the title this year but she is certainly nobody’s pushover either. There is a competitive fire that burns in her that no amount of rehab, liniment and frustration can quell. Give that woman a challenge and she will fight tooth and nail to meet it. And taking on the world No. 45 with a duff shoulder and next to no match practice is just the sort of test she can get her teeth into. As the third set progressed there were nerves, errors and a warning from the umpire (Sharapova was taking too long between points) as the Russian gritted her teeth and went for the win while Dulko gritted her teeth and tried to think about anything other than winning. Like all real fighters, Sharapova can smell fear in the air. Winning the match may have been beyond her but she was going to make Dulko work for it. And you never know, maybe the Argentine might get a bit tight and blow her chances. Sure enough, it took Dulko five match points to close it out – some of them went begging thanks to her own failings, some of them escaped her due to Sharapova’s thumping returns and – sometimes – delicate touch. But Dulko somehow kept her pulse rate down to treble figures, remembered to breathe and as the 2004 champion sent her final shot over the baseline, she was through to the third round. With only 14 matches to her name this year coming into the second round, there were far too many rough edges to Sharapova’s game for her to stand any chance of making real progress.

Sharapova forced to fight hard for win

Maria Sharapova making an entrance with her new Wimbledon kit.

If Maria Sharapova was seeking a useful workout as she continues her return from injury, then she got it today on No.1 Court. She saw off a spirited challenge from Ukrainian qualifier Viktoriya Kutuzova, requiring one hour and 42 minutes to gain a 7-5, 6-4 victory. On paper this looked like a straightforward match for the 22-year-old Russian, who is seeded 24. But these are not straightforward times for the 2004 champion, barely six weeks into her comeback after nine months out with injury. Last August after years of problems – yes, years of problems are quite possible even in a player of Sharapova’s age – with her right shoulder, she had surgery on the rotator cuff. But recovery necessitated a long lay-off, including three months without so much as picking up a racket, and this was the first match she had played without visible strapping to support the old injury. It was not as if she could take heart from happy memories of Wimbledon 2008 either, as 12 months ago she fell in the second round to the unheralded Alla Kudryavtseva. Truth be told, few on No.1 Court had heard of Kutuzova either before this match, but it rapidly became clear that the 20-year-old world number 79 was not in the least overawed. For one thing, she gave every bit as good as she got in the grunting department, with the two of them exchanging bellows with every strike of the ball. And what strikes they were, with Kutuzova, especially, putting enormous power into every baseline stroke, forcing errors from Sharapova. The Russian was also contributing a fair number of unforced mistakes, and these factors led to Kutuzova breaking for 2-1 in the first set. Barely had the crowd recovered than the Ukrainian repeated the feat for 4-1. Sharapova looked to be fighting back. She got one break back and almost levelled for 4-4. But when she failed, the set was within Kutuzova’s grasp. On a rare visit to the net, she volleyed in an attempt to convert set point, but a punchy Sharapova forehand saved it. Those familiar with Kutuzova’s play say that she has most difficulty playing well when she is ahead, and that characteristic emerged here. Meanwhile, Sharapova’s competitive determination was in full drive and from 3-5 she took four straight games to plunder a set she should have lost. Instead of crumbling, Kutuzova reacted with apparent calm, breaking in the first game of the second set. But she could not consolidate the lead, and Sharapova’s application brought her the break back. When Sharapova broke for 2-4 the match looked to be done and dusted, but Kutuzova was not done yet. The Ukrainian answered to love before Sharapova broke once more. Again Kutuzova broke back, this time to love, to make it 4-5. But eventually her problem was that she ran out of opportunities to break back. A great return gave Sharapova her first match point, and she closed out the match with no further drama.

Sharapova relishes home comforts in SW19

Sharapova stretch Maria Sharapova’s love affair with the All England Club began at the tender age of 17 when she disposed of Serena Williams to earn her first Wimbledon crown. Five years on, the Russian’s passion for the tournament and the Wimbledon way of life shows no sign of waning. “It’s the little things like living in a house, having a normal key instead of the hotel key, cooking your own breakfast, making your own tea. It’s a little homely,” she smiled after the match. “To me, it feels like this is where tennis is meant to be played. It feels very traditional. We only play a couple of tournaments on grass. When you get on, it’s just a feeling of excitement because I’ve definitely had wonderful memories here and good results in the past, ever since I was a junior.” In fact, Sharapova is just pleased to be competing again. Last autumn, the 22-year-old underwent an operation for a torn rotator cuff in her serving shoulder and has since endured a nine-month absence from the game. “I’m a big competitor and I love going out on the court and competing. I love having a challenge in front of me,” she said. “I’m just so happy to be on the tour. As many matches as I can play, I’m happy. “If someone told me four months ago that I’d be here playing Wimbledon, I wouldn’t be surprised but I would be really happy about the fact. And I am happy to be here.” Indeed, Sharapova was put to the test in her encounter with Ukrainian qualifier Viktoriya Kutuzova but emerged with a 7-5, 6-4 victory. She admitted her opponent began extremely well but added that she was able to give Kutuzova a little bit of her own medicine. “I just stayed consistent. I made her play an extra ball. I thought I returned pretty good today.” The No. 24 seed is not resting on her laurels, however, and claims there is still a lot of work to be done until she gets back to the Maria that is 100%. She also points out that there is a thin line between winning and losing. “It’s just the combination of a few things coming together, you know: body feeling good, playing good, moving well. I’m just glad I pulled through today.” Now the Russian will head back to her “home from home” in Wimbledon and continue preparation for her 2009 campaign.

Maria has no green expectations

Former champion Maria Sharapova has very few expectations heading into this year's Wimbledon.

The Russian is battling her way back from a nine-month lay-off with a shoulder injury, which saw her tumble outside of the top 100 in the world rankings at one stage.

Sharapova is no stranger to success at Wimbledon, winning the tournament in 2004 and reaching the semis in 2005 and 2006.

Previous good displays at SW19, with the exception of last year where she suffered a second-round loss to Alla Kudryavtseva, mean she has been seeded 24th despite her low world ranking of 59.

But rather than worry about lifting a second All England trophy, the Russian is simply content to be taking part without thinking about how far she can progress.

"To be here is already an accomplishment in itself, because when I look back to where I was 10 or 11 months ago, or even three months ago, I'm definitely blessed to be here," she said.

"I think every single tournament right now is still a test and for me it's almost like the beginning of the season, whereas for many players it's already the second half of the season.

"I'm still testing out where my game is, where my body is, where my shoulder is.

"I think it's a little too soon to put (winning) in my mind. I certainly know that I'm capable of it, and if I do the right things and I play the right way there's always a little bit of luck involved, as well.

"But I will take it one match at a time. This is definitely a time in my career where I can't look into possible third round, fourth round, semis, whatever it is."

Sharapova will face Viktoriya Kutuzova of Ukraine in her opening-round fixture.