Wimbledon 2011 Women's Final: Maria Sharapova Had Fans Fooled

Wimbledon 2011 Women's Final Sees Maria Sharapova Fall in Straight Sets to Petra Kvitova

Former No. 1 women's tennis player Maria Sharapova lost to eighth-seed Petra Kvitova at the 2011 Wimbledon women's final on Saturday, 6-3, 6-4.

Emphasis on former No. 1.

We actually should have seen it coming from a mile away.

Ever since Sharapova's shoulder surgery in 2008, she's never been the same player, as much as we want to believe 2011 has marked a resurgence for the Russian.

In her semifinal match against German wild card Sabine Lisicki, it was Sharapova's ailing serve that should have forebode what would happen to her in the final.

Sharapova had a whopping 13 double faults against Lisicki in the semifinal, something that was lost in her eventual win.

Against Kvitova, she had six double faults. Better, but not great.

Which gets to my point.

Sharapova is a better player in 2011, but she's not a great one. Despite a depleted field, complete with the two Williams sisters coming back from lengthy injuries, Sharapova still couldn't win Wimbledon.

She's a shadow of her former self, and she's taken tennis fans along for the ride.

Now, it's worth noting that Lisicki was a formidable opponent in Saturday's final and a rising star in women's tennis.

But Sharapova shot herself in the foot way too many times to be considered actually getting back to the form that netted her three Grand Slam singles titles.

And, sure, she can blame her shoulder, and most people would understand.

But the truly great tennis players find a way, through a myriad of obstacles, including injury, to get it done. In fact, if you've been on the court as long as Sharapova has, it's almost a miracle if you don't sustain some kind of injury.

Sharapova's words after losing to Kvitova on Saturday certainly didn't help.

Via SI.com:

"I think she was just more aggressive than I was, hit deeper and harder, and got the advantage in the points."

Given Sharapova's apparent physical limitations, she should be the last one who loses because of aggressiveness.

Another word for aggressiveness? It's called heart. When your passion is no longer there, you may as well walk off the court.

Sharapova had a chance to win Wimbledon this year, and she choked. It's that simple.

No one wants to hear about her shoulder injury anymore. If she can't find a way to cope, then she should just quit.

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/755875-wimbledon-2011-womens-final-maria-sharapova-had-fans-fooled

Jorge Posada Lance Berkman Reegie Corona Juan Miranda Colin Curtis Kevin Russo