Maria Sharapova - French Open Women's Tennis Players

Maria Sharapova is coming of age - her fantastic performance at the Australian Open is a testament to the hard work, raw talent and unbelievable fitness of this well-loved performer. She is currently near the top of the WTA rankings at number five (8 April 2008), and judging by her current form, she may well climb a little higher and challenge the likes of Svetlana Kuznetsova, Ana Ivanovic, Jelena Jankovic, and , of course the incumbent number one, Justine Henin, for the coveted top spot.

She will be particularly hard to beat in Paris as the only grand slam which does not form part of her resume is the French Open - should she be successful at Roland Garros, she will be one of the few women to claim a career grand slam.

History shows that Sharapova has one weak link in her armoury, and that is her inability to win convincingly on clay - of her 18 WTA singles titles not one has been on clay, but her overall record on clay is not that dismal - she has won 32 matches and lost 11. She did make it to the semi finals in Paris in 2007 and she is a much better player today than she has ever been, so anything is possible.

What was so impressive about Sharapova's Australian Open campaign was her deep concentration, her fitness levels and her fantastic shot selection - she never once looked like she could be beaten, perhaps this is the year when she will finally realise her extraordinary potential.

It is likely that the attractive Russian could very well meet Justine Henin in the finals, and although Sharapova trounced Henin emphatically in Melbourne, their head-to-head record belongs to Henin. Of their nine outings Henin has triumphed on 6 occasions and their only two clay court appearances where won by Henin with relative ease in two sets.

Apart from her emphatic victory in Australia, Sharapova has shown scintillating form in 2008:

• She helped Russia to a victory over Israel in the Fed Cup
• She won the Qatar Total Open in Doha for the third time in her career
• She made it to the semi finals of the Pacific Life Open before tumbling to Svetlana Kuznetsova, ending an 18 match winning streak
• She is the top seed at the Bausch & Lomb Championships in Florida, a hotly contested clay court competition, which bodes well for her 2008 French Open campaign

Maria Sharapova, sublime French Open Women's Tennis Player, has the skill, the temperament and the will to claim the only tennis major which has eluded her in the past.