• WTA

Sharapova pleased to be 'back and healthy'

ESPN staff
January 28, 2014
Maria Sharapova won the French Open in Paris in 2012 © Getty Images
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Maria Sharapova is glad to be back on the circuit after missing the second half of the 2013 campaign due to injury.

Stan the man in Australian Open mind game

Stanislas Wawrinka won his maiden grand slam in Melbourne © Getty Images
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The four-time Grand Slam champion was forced to sit out events after Cincinnati last August following a shoulder problem, and made her return at the Brisbane International at the backend of 2013, where she lost in the final to world No. 1 Serena Williams.

But following her shock loss to eventual finalist Dominika Cibulkova at the Australian Open in the fourth round, there had been concerns with her hip.

However, arriving to Paris this week as the top seed for the Open GDF SUEZ, Sharapova is aiming to reach full fitness after being hampered by recent injuries.

"I think it's a success in terms of that I'm back and that I'm healthy," Sharapova, who completed the career Grand Slam in Paris at the French Open in 2012, said.

"That's quite important otherwise I wouldn't give myself a chance to play. So on that note, I have to look at the positives and see where I have come from in four or five months. I haven't played a lot of tennis in those six months."

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