• What the Deuce

Sharapova's shock exit is not so surprising after all

Maria Sharapova failed to make an impact as she returned to Melbourne where she was victorious in 2008 © Getty Images

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• What the Deuce: More twists and turns than a John Grisham novel
  
• Profile: Maria Sharapova

One of the highest paid female athletes in the world, Maria Sharapova is a marketing dream: tall, blonde, beautiful and not too bad at tennis either. Having won three Grand Slams before her 21st birthday, she looked like she could succeed where Anna Kournikova failed. But a shoulder injury has seen her flutter in and out of the game for the past two years, and the women's tour has been quieter without her. Quite literally, in fact, as her grunting has been known to exceed the human pain threshold.

Just last week she signed a new contract with Nike that will see her rake in $70m over the next eight years. But whether it is a fitness issue, lack of mental toughness after a while out of the game, or even a deep-rooted desire to make the headlines, whether for the right reasons or not, the fact of the matter is that Sharapova cannot yet be described as one of the great champions. At the moment she is still more Kournikova than Steffi Graf.

Women's tennis is in the same situation that the men's game was in the early part of the last decade; after the decline of Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras, but before the emergence of Roger Federer. It is in limbo, without a real sense of rivalry; the No.1 status changes hands as regularly as a five-pound note, and any ascendance of a player is usually because of the inconsistency of another. The latest battle for the top spot has been between two polar opposites - the injury-prone Serena Williams who is known to snub lesser tournaments, while Dinara Safina grinds out the results on the tour and chokes at the Grand Slams.

The Australian Open has been hyped for the return of three tennis stars: Kim Clijsters enjoying her stunning 'second career' (she doesn't like to call it a comeback), Henin making her return after retiring as No.1 in May 2008, and Sharapova, back after a shoulder injury. And for once, the leggy blonde was overshadowed by the aging Belgians. While both Clijsters at 26, Henin a year older at 27 are both younger than Roger Federer, they are seen as veterans, and as Martina Hingis learnt when she made her comeback in 2006, at 25 you are no spring chicken.

Sharapova needs to consistently play at her best if she is to rival Justine Henin as one of the great Grand Slam champions © Getty Images

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Sharapova on the other hand, is still only 22, and should have eased past Maria Kirilenko without dropping a set, let alone losing the match. Seeded 14th, she even had a relatively easy draw, with just world No.23 Dominika Cibulkova her only real barrier to reaching the quarter-finals. To her credit, Sharapova was brutally honest after her defeat: "I just didn't win the match," she said." I certainly had my chances and just didn't execute." And that's the problem. Henin has had her share of failure and disappointing results, but when she lost games, there was always a reason behind it. Sharapova loses games when she really should have won, no excuses, just a shrug of the shoulders.

The Australian Open promised to be a return to the glittering tennis of a few years ago, and Sharapova was outspoken about her chances of continuing at Melbourne Park where she left off (the previous match she played there was her victorious 2008 final). But having not played a competitive tennis match since Beijing in October last year, she was unlikely to be ready to challenge the likes of the Williams sisters, the Belgian pair or fellow Russians Safina, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Elena Dementieva, who is enjoying a good run of form.

She may have three Grand Slam titles, but it is her results between her three titles (the first at Wimbledon in 2004) that speak volumes. Sharapova has failed to progress past the third round of the US Open since her victory there in 2006, and has been knocked out at the second round at Wimbledon for the past two years. Until she can find a consistency to see her making the semi-final stage of major tournaments, Sharapova cannot be considered one of the great players of recent years. As things stand she will be remembered first and foremost for her looks, rather than her tennis.

While the 2008 final between Sharapova and Ana Ivanovic will be remembered for the aesthetically pleasing players, for the purists, a Williams-Henin final would be a far more thrilling fixture.

Jo Carter is assistant editor of ESPN.co.uk

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