Maria Sharapova didn't manage to leave a strong mark on her return on the WTA professional circuit. After spending 15 months outside pro tennis as a punishment for failing a drug test at the 2016 Australian Open, the 30-year-old player made a comeback earlier this season during the clay court swing in Europe. She benefited from several wild-card entries to get access to some big WTA events like those in Stuttgart, Madrid, and Rome but she failed to deliver big results. She reached the semi's in Stuttgart but while in Madrid she lost to Eugenie Bouchard, one of the most critical voices against Sharapova.
In Rome, The Russian had to abandon the tournament in the early stages due to an injury: the same injury that seems to be the cause of her skipping the ongoing grass-court swing.
Sharapova's eagerness wasn't enough
Along with Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova's name is a global brand. Even so, there were people arguing that she got preferential treatment once her suspension was over. Still, the cornucopia of wild-cards didn't apply to the French Open. At Wimbledon in an effort order to settle down the stir against her, the Russian stated that she was willing to play in the qualifying stages. Now that she is struggling with injury, her schedule got even smaller. She is expected to resume playing during the North American hardcourt swing.
Ranked 175th in the world at the moment, the five-times Grand Slam champion must put in some hard work if she wants to regain a spot in the top 50 by the end of this season.
Despite not playing at her best, she had some good matches on clay before that thigh injury struck. As the WTA Tour is presenting itself at the moment, Sharapova is missing some huge opportunities to improve her legacy.
Without Serena Williams or Victoria Azarenka up and running, the Russian would have stolen the show on many occasions.
The twilight of her career looming on the horizon
At 30 years of age, Sharapova is far from her peak. The former WTA queen's journey has been a tumultuous road over the years. Multiple injuries prevented her from getting longterm and genuine domination in women's tennis.
She had the whole pack of skills but there were a lot of ups and downs. Last time she was on top of the game was back in 2014 when she won her last Grand Slam title at the 2014 French Open. This is what you get when you'be been competing in the same era as Serena Williams. There are only a few crumbs of fame and glory for you to grab. After all, Sharapova and Serena Williams are the only two still active WTA players who can brag about winning all four Majors at least once.
