Peter Bodo says Sharapova will win the French Open in the future.

Further proof this so called tennis expert is a bit off base in alot of his forecasts:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=2889664&name=tennis

Stick a fork into her...

Maria Sharapova is Done.

He needs to learn arithmetic first.

The easiest draw ever, and she couldn't make it to the finals. Embarrassing

Navratilova said the opposite.

sureshs said:

Navratilova said the opposite.

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What was her exact statement?

drakulie said:

He needs to learn arithmetic first.

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Yeah, wrong number of finals for Pierce, and not even realizing it was impossible for her to play both Henin and Serena anyway as they were both in the othe rhalf.

federerfanatic said:

What was her exact statement?

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It was in her commentary so I can't recall exactly. She said it would be very difficult for her to win the French (put the whole package together) because the slower pace does not help her and her footwork is not good enough.

I don't have a view on this because the women's game is so full of ups and downs. Also, Martina is always biased towards an all-court player like Justine.

he must be smoking some bad crack:shock:
she went all the damn way to the semis because of an easy draw and the players she faced in the early rounds just don't cut it,even if some were born on clay like Emilie Loit for example.
Loit is a doubles expert,not a singles player who has had decent results on clay but nothing major.Why? Because when in the presence of superior players;she can't do it.
She faced a usually choking Schnyder and Chakvetadze has been beaten by the Pova already so even the fact that Anna grew up on clay,didn't mean she had the mental edge over Maria,case and point she lost in 2.
The only players capable,besides Ivanovic are Safarova,Mauresmo and Kuznetsova;all 3 of them lost and didn't meant Sharapova.
Had they meant,I can assure you,Bozo would have said what everybody else always says when Henin and Mauresmo,when both healthy and playing well beat her to pulp and that is they are both better players than her and that she lacks a lot; and that sheer power alone won't get you wins against certain player who are not affraid of her.
Pierce went back in forth between the US and France,where she had her game polished by the FFT and thus got her clay game right.Pierce despite being a ball basher,has had to learn by the coaches at the FFT that you have to have plan B,when plan A doesn't work and that moving towards the net shouldn't be foreign land and that it will not hurt,all that thanks to her mum Yannick and her lunatic father who had the sense to send her to Paris when all the **** went down with the Capriati's.

Ivanovic, Vaidisova, and Jankovic are all already better clay courters then she is, and they are in her age range(Vaidisova younger, Ivanovic same, Jankovic older)and have not matured their games to as much of their potential as she has. If any of those had played her at this years French Open she would have lost. I gaurantee you that much. So I dont see any future French Open titles for her. Henin will be tough to beat at the French, and a major force in the womens game for another several years anyway. Serena too if she wants to be. Kuznetsova is generally a better clay court player then Sharapova, so if she stays in the top group of women another several years she is another one over Maria in French Open odds. She too would have beaten Maria had she played her here. Dementieva and Petrova are better clay courters if they get their acts back together, and could have several more years as contenders should they get it together again, although that is a big if with them. Jankovic, Ivanovic, and Vaidisova will be around a number more years, and all will have better chances then Maria at the French Open on a regular basis. Then after that there are more players we dont even know anything about yet. A next generation will come, then a next, then probably a next, each including several players who are probably better clay courters then Sharapova. So no a French Open title for her in the future would be a miracle.

I dont even think she has that many more slams outside the French. Vaidisova, Ivanovic, and Jankovic can be better players then her on every surface, and in a year or so will be IMO. Kuznetsova, Petrova, and Dementieva could be if they fulfilled their potential as players but sadly that is looking less likely. Henin is unbeatable for Maria on clay, beatable by Maria on hard courts or grass, but Henin is still favorite even on hard courts or grass. Serena can be beaten by Maria on certain days, but a motivated and confident Serena is much too much for Maria. Venus is done as a contender at the French I think, but not neccessarily from a contender at Wimbledon and the U.S Open if she can regain confidence and motivation. Mauresmo, Hingis, and Peer might be threats as well, although I doubt it. Then like clay the new players to emerge, although they will have a harder time being better then Maria on non-clay surfaces as clay I concede.

federerfanatic said:

Ivanovic, Vaidisova, and Jankovic are all already better clay courters then she is, and they are in her age range(Vaidisova younger, Ivanovic same, Jankovic older)and have not matured their games to as much of their potential as she has. If any of those had played her at this years French Open she would have lost. I gaurantee you that much. So I dont see any future French Open titles for her. Henin will be tough to beat at the French, and a major force in the womens game for another several years anyway. Serena too if she wants to be. Kuznetsova is generally a better clay court player then Sharapova, so if she stays in the top group of women another several years she is another one over Maria in French Open odds. She too would have beaten Maria had she played her here. Dementieva and Petrova are better clay courters if they get their acts back together, and could have several more years as contenders should they get it together again, although that is a big if with them. Jankovic, Ivanovic, and Vaidisova will be around a number more years, and all will have better chances then Maria at the French Open on a regular basis. Then after that there are more players we dont even know anything about yet. A next generation will come, then a next, then probably a next, each including several players who are probably better clay courters then Sharapova. So no a French Open title for her in the future would be a miracle.

I dont even think she has that many more slams outside the French. Vaidisova, Ivanovic, and Jankovic can be better players then her on every surface, and in a year or so will be IMO. Kuznetsova, Petrova, and Dementieva could be if they fulfilled their potential as players but sadly that is looking less likely. Henin is unbeatable for Maria on clay, beatable by Maria on hard courts or grass, but Henin is still favorite even on hard courts or grass. Serena can be beaten by Maria on certain days, but a motivated and confident Serena is much too much for Maria. Venus is done as a contender at the French I think, but not neccessarily from a contender at Wimbledon and the U.S Open if she can regain confidence and motivation. Mauresmo, Hingis, and Peer might be threats as well, although I doubt it. Then like clay the new players to emerge, although they will have a harder time being better then Maria on non-clay surfaces as clay I concede.

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This is all well-reasoned, and I agree that Maria will never be a clay-court favorite and will in all likelihood never win the French, but I don't necessarily agree that she has peaked and will never improve her game further. I mean, the fact that her serve has nowhere to go but up aside, she's still quite young--could still contend for 8 more years--and has the mentality to bring new shots into her matches if she gets them dialed in. And her game HAS changed. I don't remember seeing her use as many drop shots two years ago as she does now, her net play has improved, in my opinion, and she sees short balls sooner now than she used to.

The biggest reason I think she could still improve on clay in particular, though, is that she hasn't yet stopped growing. She sprouted up two inches in two years, and now she's closing in on 6'3" (according to the commentators). Once she stops growing and fully adjusts to her ginormous body I think her footwork may improve. RIght now it's pretty clumsy (esp. on clay), but she's not as slow as she could be for her height (though she takes an insanely long time to recover when she's taken out wide--I think *I* could have gotten to some of Ivanovic's shots that Sharapova just gave up on).

Also, if she keeps having matches like the one against Ivanovic and realized she has no plan b when her big flat shots aren't going in, something's got to click, and she's GOT to bring more variety into her game. LIke an overhead freaking smash.

Still, her humiliation against Ana aside, the "haters" (I hate that word, LOL!) who assert that she is a talentless hack are just silly. Look at her grand slam record--even though she only has two titles, she's routinely in the QF and SF nearly without exception (cept at the FO). Can you blame an easy draw for every single one of her succsses? Seriously?

princess bossass said:

This is all well-reasoned, and I agree that Maria will never be a clay-court favorite and will in all likelihood never win the French, but I don't necessarily agree that she has peaked and will never improve her game further. I mean, the fact that her serve has nowhere to go but up aside, she's still quite young--could still contend for 8 more years--and has the mentality to bring new shots into her matches if she gets them dialed in. And her game HAS changed. I don't remember seeing her use as many drop shots two years ago as she does now, her net play has improved, in my opinion, and she sees short balls sooner now than she used to.

The biggest reason I think she could still improve on clay in particular, though, is that she hasn't yet stopped growing. She sprouted up two inches in two years, and now she's closing in on 6'3" (according to the commentators). Once she stops growing and fully adjusts to her ginormous body I think her footwork may improve. RIght now it's pretty clumsy (esp. on clay), but she's not as slow as she could be for her height (though she takes an insanely long time to recover when she's taken out wide--I think *I* could have gotten to some of Ivanovic's shots that Sharapova just gave up on).

Also, if she keeps having matches like the one against Ivanovic and realized she has no plan b when her big flat shots aren't going in, something's got to click, and she's GOT to bring more variety into her game. LIke an overhead freaking smash.

Still, her humiliation against Ana aside, the "haters" (I hate that word, LOL!) who assert that she is a talentless hack are just silly. Look at her grand slam record--even though she only has two titles, she's routinely in the QF and SF nearly without exception (cept at the FO). Can you blame an easy draw for every single one of her succsses? Seriously?

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Four years and she hasn't improved her overhead smash. Four years and she still hasn't learned a slice. Four years and she STILL hasn't improved her forehand, or improved her speed/footwork. She's been stagnant since winning Wimbledon.

When Sharapova is facing a healthy, in shape Serena, she doesn't win. I doubt she can. Seminfinals for best, unless she gets a bit of luck.

theballboy said:

Four years and she hasn't improved her overhead smash. Four years and she still hasn't learned a slice. Four years and she STILL hasn't improved her forehand, or improved her speed/footwork. She's been stagnant since winning Wimbledon.

When Sharapova is facing a healthy, in shape Serena, she doesn't win. I doubt she can. Seminfinals for best, unless she gets a bit of luck.

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Uh, actually she does have a slice, she just rarely uses it. See the thread about her slice for further discussion.

I don't understand why she doesn't use the overhead smash--a shot she actually USED to use. She said in a press conference that the swinging volley is her favorite shot. Why why why?

Sharapova with a good draw will have a record a la Davenport at the French,mark my word people

Maybe if she grows into her body better. She had a growth spurt very recently so her body is still rapidly developing it seems.

We may see Maria own the tennis world in 2 years. Of course, it is also possible that she'll be too bloody tall and awkward to play with any variety.

CyBorg said:

We may see Maria own the tennis world in 2 years.

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That was what people said over 2 years ago, heck almost 3 years ago when she won Wimbledon the way she did. She hasnt improved since then. She has managed another slam since has remained a strong enough contender she was bound to win one at some point. However she has shown zero improvement, and is miles from this dominance people then predicted her to have by now.

Maria will never dominate womens tennis.

federerfanatic said:

Mauresmo, Hingis, and Peer might be threats as well, although I doubt it.

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I'm sorry but Mauresmo is 3-1 against Sharapova so you can't possibly put her in the same league as Peer.
hell Hingis can't even beat Mauresmo anymore.She hasn't since she's been back but she's still 8-7 against Mauresmo.
Peer is not an all surface,all court player unlike Mauresmo and to some extent Hingis who can play well on all surfaces unlike Peer.
Peer doesn't play well on grass and not that well on carpet either.
Every tennis analysts always reminds people that Mauresmo is always in contention to win in a tournament when healthy,always.Ask McEnroe,Carillo,Fernandez and Shriver.

Well I regard Mauresmo's chances much lower now then I would have the last few years. She seems to lack some motivation now, is getting a bit older, and is having health problems.

I sersiouly hope she doesn't. I say this because I couldn't stand having a Champion like her winning the French.

mabe if ivanovic had had an erratic match, Sharapova may have won the French , even with bad footwork and a bad forehand. So you never know in woman's tennis. I personally hope she doesnt win slams, because her forehand looks real ugly to me.

With the way the women's game is, it would not surprise me if Sharapova won the French Open. Henin can't play forever and of all the tournaments the FO seems to have the biggest surprises as far as players not expected to go deep making it to the finals. The way these big hitters self-destruct on their serves and groundstrokes, she may have to hit more than one or two shots.

federerfanatic said:

Well I regard Mauresmo's chances much lower now then I would have the last few years. She seems to lack some motivation now, is getting a bit older, and is having health problems.

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well mate I have to disagree with you on the motivation part but will agree on everything else.How can someone lack motivation when they are playing but getting injured all the time?:roll:
If you're talking about lack of motivation;we should honestly talk about Kim Clijsters who stopped playing while she was still healthy and young compared to Mauresmo whose almost 28,is willing to keep on practicing,training and playing competitive tennis but whose body is holding back?
I mean Fanatic,you have got to be fair and balanced...

tintin said:

well mate I have to disagree with you on the motivation part but will agree on everything else.How can someone lack motivation when they are playing but getting injured all the time?:roll:
If you're talking about lack of motivation;we should honestly talk about Kim Clijsters who stopped playing while she was still healthy and young compared to Mauresmo whose almost 28,is willing to keep on practicing,training and playing competitive tennis but whose body is holding back?
get my drift?

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All good points. I guess we will have to wait and see until she has a long healthy stretch again how she does.

FuriousYellow said:

With the way the women's game is, it would not surprise me if Sharapova won the French Open. Henin can't play forever and of all the tournaments the FO seems to have the biggest surprises as far as players not expected to go deep making it to the finals. The way these big hitters self-destruct on their serves and groundstrokes, she may have to hit more than one or two shots.

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Of course Henin wont play forever, but by the time Henin is done as a potential French Open winner there will players as contenders that are not even on tour yet, and likely some of those better then Sharapova on clay. That is in addition to Jankovic, Ivanovic, Vaidisova, who are in her age group and all already better then Sharapova on clay. Her fellow Russians like Kuznetsova are better then her on clay too.

This year will be Marias best shot to ever win the French as it is the biggest joke draw she will ever, mary my words. Even then it wasnt much chance at all in hindsight.

It seems to me that at 6'3" her movement will be impaired...on any surface. She's grown too tall IMO. But then there's modelling for a couple of years...although I hear 16 is the age agencies are looking for.

federerfanatic said:

That was what people said over 2 years ago, heck almost 3 years ago when she won Wimbledon the way she did. She hasnt improved since then. She has managed another slam since has remained a strong enough contender she was bound to win one at some point. However she has shown zero improvement, and is miles from this dominance people then predicted her to have by now.

Maria will never dominate womens tennis.

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She's improved. She served very well at the US Open and, you know, won there.

CyBorg said:

She's improved. She served very well at the US Open and, you know, won there.

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So since her big Wimbledon triumph as a 17 year old almost 3 full years ago, and grand predictions for her to take over womens tennis, she has won 1 grand slam, and people are supposed to take that as real progress of some kind. I dont think so. I agree with anyone who says Maria will never dominate the womens game, or even close to that.

I would guess she ends up around 4 slams if she is very lucky. She wont win another one for awhile though.

lambielspins said:

So since her big Wimbledon triumph as a 17 year old almost 3 full years ago, and grand predictions for her to take over womens tennis, she has won 1 grand slam, and people are supposed to take that as real progress of some kind. I dont think so. I agree with anyone who says Maria will never dominate the womens game, or even close to that.

I would guess she ends up around 4 slams if she is very lucky. She wont win another one for awhile though.

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She is still very young. I don't see why she should be expected to rack up the slams by the handful right away.

She's a big, strong girl. I think big strong girls have an advantage. Her problem is that she is a very tall girl who keeps growing and has yet to grow into her body. I do think that once she does she can learn to overpower her opponents.

Of course that's no guarantee. She can choose to pass by on her looks like Kournikova. I bet she's been tempted. Probably not in her character however.

One thing we can agree upon most likely is that she'll never win the French. I actually feel that her SF at RG this year is an incredible result considering her injury and all. She should be very happy.

CyBorg said:

She is still very young. I don't see why she should be expected to rack up the slams by the handful right away.

She's a big, strong girl. I think big strong girls have an advantage. Her problem is that she is a very tall girl who keeps growing and has yet to grow into her body. I do think that once she does she can learn to overpower her opponents.

Of course that's no guarantee. She can choose to pass by on her looks like Kournikova. I bet she's been tempted. Probably not in her character however.

One thing we can agree upon most likely is that she'll never win the French. I actually feel that her SF at RG this year is an incredible result considering her injury and all. She should be very happy.

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You've pretty much summed up my thoughts on Sharapova. I also think she'll mature emotionally, kind of along the same lines that she must adjust to her fully grown body.

She's def. improved. I admit to shock: GASP :shock liking Sharapova ( :::ducks::: ), which makes me biased (and will make me wildly unpopular on this forum), but I also think liking her and watching a lot of her matches perhaps gives me a better perspective on what she's done to improve her game than people who turn off the telly every time her matches come on. Also, she did follow up Wimbledon '04 with better results that she had achieved previous to that--consistently showing up in the QFs and SFs of nearly every grand slam event.

And with that, I forever cease and desist the Sharapova defending. Promise. I just feel a sisterhood with the tall and lanky women. Forgive me.

CyBorg said:

She is still very young. I don't see why she should be expected to rack up the slams by the handful right away.

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I agree with what you are saying. Like you, I dont think it is that reasonable to have expected her to rack up slams by the handful right now either. However that is what alot of the so called experts and even many fans were predicting after she won Wimbledon in 2004. Maria becoming the new queen of tennis was hailed, and her winning slams in bunches over the next couple years was trumpeted. People caught onto reality eventually. Until again last year when she went on that fairly dominant late year run, aided by superior health to almost all her main rivals, people went on raving that Maria was taking over tennis and would be nearly unbeatable this year. Again way off base it turns out.

Yes she is still very young. Ivanovic and Vaidisova are younger then her though and closing the gap very fast. Ivanovic humiliating her in that French Open semi as she did, even on clay, has to be disconcerting to Maria. Nicole Vaidisova looked much better able to slug it out with Serena then Maria was at both the Australian Open and Nasdaq. If Nicole had some kind of nerves both matches would have been in a 3rd set, and she even hit more winners then Serena in both matches which almost nobody else can do. Maria on the other hand was completely overwhelmed by Serenas first strike tennis in both events. I would love to see Nicole play Maria now, although I am not sure Maria would love that so much.

That is a new situation she will start to experience, where she is no longer the youngest or the one with the most improvement ahead neccessarily. It is already starting to happen, and will even moreso as she keeps getting a bit older.

She's a big, strong girl. I think big strong girls have an advantage.

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I agree. That she is this kind of physical figure is to her advantage. However Serena, Nicole Vaidisova, Ana Ivanovic, and a few others are this kind of physical figure to. With more surely to come in the future.

Her problem is that she is a very tall girl who keeps growing and has yet to grow into her body.

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True. She should be close to done now at her age though. We will see if that makes any difference for her though.

I do think that once she does she can learn to overpower her opponents.

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Her problem is that all she tries to do is overpower her opponents. She is too one dimensional. She doesnt move well enough or play much good defense, she has no Plan B, she is horrible at the net or moving off the baseline, she lacks variety, she lacks any kind of understanding how to construct points. So basically if her Plan A is not working she is screwed. Hard way to win 7 matches too often, with the increasing depth in the womens game and sharks like Serena and Justine leading the way.

Of course that's no guarantee. She can choose to pass by on her looks like Kournikova. I bet she's been tempted. Probably not in her character however.

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I dont think it is likely she falls prey to that sort of thing to the extent Kournikova does. I also dont think it is any gaurantee she is good enough to hold off some of the emerging up and comers, or be able to cope too often with players like Serena or Justine before they fade with age and more new players have by then arrived.

One thing we can agree upon most likely is that she'll never win the French. I actually feel that her SF at RG this year is an incredible result considering her injury and all. She should be very happy.

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I agree. She might make a semi again, but that is it, and it will be with another good draw. However she deserves credit for reaching the semis. She did not control her draw, she only played who was put in front of her and had a good tournament on her worst surface, and did much more then anyone expected at the French Open from her this year.

Oh good, we will get to hear more of her sexy shrieks..