MUGURUZA THE ONE TO BEAT AS SHARAPOVA MAKES RETURN
AT 6pm last night, California time, Maria Sharapova was due to hit her first tennis balls in anger since May. The 30-year-old was scheduled to play for the Orange County Breakers against the San Diego Aviators in the opening match of America’s World Team Tennis league. Garbine Muguruza would probably have still been in her dress for last night’s Wimbledon champions’ dinner, by the time Sharapova stepped on court before a sold-out crowd of 2,500 at the Aviators’ stadium. The Russian was last seen retiring at the Italian Open, prior to her decision not to put herself through Wimbledon’s qualifying event at Roehampton, citing a leg injury. It would have been fascinating to see how she performed at SW19, not to mention how she would have dealt with the scrutiny that would have accompanied her appearance on the way back from her suspension for doping. She will have taken note that a 37-year-old, Venus Williams, was able to make it to the final, despite ongoing health issues and the distraction of off-court traumas relating to a fatal car crash she was involved in. Seven years Venus’s junior, the Russian will know that in the absence of Serena Williams there are plenty of opportunities to win titles. Her first tournament on phase two of her comeback is the Bank of the West Classic in California at the end of this month, for which she has received a wildcard. There were plenty of good matches to savour at Wimbledon, although they dried up from the semi-finals onwards. Saturday’s final was the 10th out of the last 11 that was settled in straight sets after Venus’s capitulation. But Muguruza is worthy of filling one of the top places in a women’s top 10 that tomorrow will feature semi-finalist Jo Konta at No 4 — this tournament will prove more of a watershed to Konta than the Spaniard, who already has a French Open title from 2016. Muguruza may be the type of player who is lifted by the big events, rather than one who churns it out week after week. On Saturday, she reflected on how she struggled for consistency after winning Roland Garros. ‘I would like to change things. People think that when you win it’s so easy but it’s not easy also to handle it,’ she said. ‘But the best way is to be humble and go back to the court, start in the hard court season and keep working.’