Maybe the best news for tennis fans is this: There won’t be an all-grunting women’s final at Wimbledon. Thankfully, we were spared one half of that possibility when master grunter Victoria Azarenka lost in the semis.
Yes, Maria Sharapova is a grunter. But when she takes Centre Court on Saturday to face Petra Kvitova, the focus won’t be on her sounds. It will be on her journey — as it should be.
Recommended Stories
That journey started with a Wimbledon title in 2004 when she was 17; a glorious career was predicted. For a few years, that looked accurate.
Instead, most of the past several years have been filled with more pain than triumph. Multiple injuries have slowed Sharapova’s rise the past three years. When you win at 17, you have no clue how tough it really is to accomplish such a feat. But when you endure and fight through injuries to return to that spot, it’s natural to have that triumph mean more.
Meantime, when Sharapova started to ail, so, too, did the women’s game.
The Williams sisters are on a big decline; both are at least 29 years old and always have had other interests. Nobody has risen up in their absence to become the face of tennis. Sharapova, who was just that several years ago (ranked No. 1 for 17 weeks between 2005 and 2008), can become that person again. At 24 years old, Sharapova has plenty of time left. That’s good for her; it’s good for tennis.
