Sharapova Looks Forward to WTA 2014 Season and Explains Her Recovery Secrets

Written by: Bob Larson Tennis on 17th December 2013

French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros

Sharapova Looks Forward to WTA 2014 Season and Explains Her Recovery Secrets

epa03733589 Maria Sharapova of Russia celebrates after winning her semi final match against Victoria Azarenka of Belarus at the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 06 June 2013. EPA/YOAN VALAT |

Maria Sharapova has revealed she has been undergoing a course of platelet-rich plasma injections and shock-wave therapy to overcome the right shoulder issues that kept her off court for the entire late summer and fall season including the US Open.

Sharapova, now practicing at maximum capacity in Bradenton, Florida with newly appointed coach Sven Groeneveld, successfully came through a three sets exhibition match against Ana Ivanovic in Bogata, Colombia on December 6 and is now confident of contesting the season-opening Brisbane International that begins on December 29.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with the New York Times, Sharapova said of her return from injury: “I’ve been there in much tougher times, and I came back and I got through it.

“I know this is far from as serious as it was before, so that’s a huge thing.”

The difference is this time there was no tear in the right shoulder’s rotator cuff. In 2008 surgery was needed to repair two tears although Sharapova insisted the more recent injury still had its downsides.

“It was an impingement pain, and that started creating inflammation, but the inflammation was everywhere,” she said, maintaining the injury was most painful on serves, overheads and sometimes at the finish of ground strokes.

“I had bursitis. I had tendinitis and then I had a bone bruise, and the problem is, you usually give it some time off and work on the strength, but the problem was everything I was doing strength-wise was hurting me.”

Sharapova revealed the shoulder issues started again during the European clay court season in April and May when the weather in venues such as Madrid and Rome was distinctly cool.

She elaborated: “I don’t know how I managed to get through Madrid. And then Rome, I was playing Sloane Stephens, and I finished the match, and I said: ‘There’s no way. My shoulder just kills. I’m serving, and I’m in a lot of pain.’

“I don’t know how I won that match. You can even go back and watch the video and see my face is totally white, because I know something is not right.”

Miraculously she made the final of the French Open, where she lost the title she won the previous year. But she said: “I think when you have surgery on any part of your body, it’s never going to be the same.

“I think for me, it was a lot of matches, and my thing is I’m very loose-jointed, so changes come, change of weather, change of balls, I am quite sensitive to that, and I think everything just kind of piled on.”

Topics: 10sballs.com, Ana Ivanovic, Brisbane, Colombia, French Open, Maria Sharapova, Sloane Stephens, Tennis, Tennis News, US Open