Following Sloane Stephens and especially Petra Kvitova, Maria Sharapova is another lady from the large circle of favourites for the 2018 Wimbledon title.
The spectators in Wimbledon were offered a lot for their entrance fee on Tuesday. Especially when they have sided with the outsiders. But what is part of the good tone at the All England Lawn Tennis Club anyway.
No fewer than 21 seeded professionals had to say goodbye in round one. This is probably an expression of what Dominic Thiem, who is no longer with us either, said the other day in Halle/Westphalia: On grass, the world’s top players are moving much closer together. And on grass it is also possible that a qualifier beats a former winner, who had entered the tournament with high expectations, right at the beginning of the tableau.
Vitalia Diatchenko was so free, Maria Sharapova the victim. So it was all the more remarkable that the 2004 title winner had earned a 5-2 lead in the second set after winning the first set. What Diatchenko does not dispute. In the end Sharapova showed nerves, ended the match with a double mistake. In front of full grandstands at just before 9 pm local time.
Sloane Stephens had already said goodbye on Monday, not quite as dramatically. Donna Vekic is an excellent grass player, Stephens not so much, at least not without preparation. This is where Stephens and Sharapova cross paths: after the French Open, both players took a break and trusted their routine for the task in Wimbledon.
Sharapova failed Garbine Muguruza in Roland Garros only in the quarter-finals, Stephens even had the tournament victory on the bat, leading with set and break in the final against Simona Halep. Afterwards both had devoted themselves to training work, skipped the events in Birmingham or Eastbourne.
Stephens commented on her retirement with some humour, and Maria Sharapova’s general well-being no longer depends on reaching the second round of a Wimbledon tournament. If it would have gone differently with another preparation? There is no guarantee for it: Petra Kvitova, winner of Birmingham and top favourite with the English bookmakers, finally joined the club of the 21 retired on Tuesday.