PRAGUE, Czech Republic – Maria Sharapova has been all over the world. She has won at the Australian Open, Roland Garros in Paris (twice), Wimbledon in London, and the US Open in New York.
The 28-year-old has traveled, and triumphed, at Tokyo, Stuttgart, Rome, Madrid, Indian Wells, Cincinnati and Doha, among others.
But now she is somewhere she has never been before – a Fed Cup final. As she says, it’s extremely important for her to get there – finally. At this point, she is the veteran, and very much the leader of the team.
Here at Prague against the Czechs, everyone is asking Sharapova and asking about Sharapova. During the press conferences this week, the journalists have asked the Russians whether they can take down the mighty Czech Republic, which has won three out of the last four years. The other Russians – captain Anastasia Myskina, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina – all turn towards her. Sharapova takes the mike and is she has been happy to respond.
“I am excited and nervous at the same time. It’s an incredible opportunity for me and my teammates to play in a final,” said Sharapova. “It’s very rare for me to experience something for the first time after being on tour for so many years. It’s a unique team atmosphere and I am really excited.”
The Russians have said that they are the underdogs. The Czechs have three players in the Top 11: Petra Kvitova, Lucie Safarova and Karolina Pliskova. On Saturday, Kvitova will start off against Pavlyuchenkova, who is 6-2 against her head-to-head. Then Sharapova will go up against Pliskova, who just reached the final in Zhuhai.
Many thought that Safarova would play against Sharapova, whom she upset at Roland Garros in the fourth round, but Safarova is sick so she won’t be able to compete on Saturday.
However, Pliskova is only 23 years old and she is rising fast. Like Sharapova, she is tall and has one of the best first serves on tour, so much so that she has nailed 517 aces this year. Both can crush their forehands and backhands and attack immediately on their returns.
“I kind of expected to be playing Pliskova, considering her results,” Sharapova said. “She has a big game, a big serve, big groundstrokes, that’s something to look for in her game. But being the more aggressive one and taking the ball early will be extremely important.”
Though she hasn’t played the final before, the Russian has had memorable Fed Cup experiences. Back in 2008, Sharapova was playing better than she ever has. As she has frequently said, at the 2008 Australian Open, she was super intent from the word go. She beat the former No.1 Lindsay Davenport in the second round, the former World No.3 Elena Dementieva in the fourth round, then beat No.1 Justine Henin in the quarterfinals, then the soon to be No.1 Jelena Jankovic in the semifinals, and the soon to be No.1 Ana Ivanovic in the final. Quite a run. Sharapova didn’t even drop a set. The sky isn’t the limit.
The next week, Sharapova went to play for Russia at Fed Cup for the first time. They went to Israel, where they had never been before, and some of the fans were extremely loud. One of the other players, the former No.1 Dinara Safina, grew very upset on court and lost. But Sharapova wasn’t going to go wild. She locked in, easily won both of her matches. Russia went through and Sharapova was pleased that she finally had been part of a real team. This year, she again wanted to make sure that she would be there and Russia would have a legitimate chance. After she fell against No.1 Serena Williams in the final at the Australian Open, she went to Poland and took down both the Radwanska sisters, Agnieszka and Urszula.
In late March, Sharapova hurt her leg during Miami, but she still hoped to be okay to play against Germany in Moscow. She couldn’t do it though, pulling out. Fortunately for her and the team, Russia won 3-2 against Germany, with Pavlyuchenkova and Vesnina securing the win.
“I was really proud of how the team came through in Germany, because I knew they were the underdogs coming into that match,” Sharapova said. “I felt like last minute I couldn’t play, so that was disappointing, so I’m really glad that I have another chance to compete and be part of the team. I just look forward to the experience. Something new for me.”
Sharapova is well aware that the crowd at the O2 Arena in Prague will be very loud and enthusiastic – for the Czechs. But the Russian has been around for a long time and ever since Sharapova first started on tour, from the minute she stepped on court she would zone and not think about the large buzzing noise around her. In 2004 at the Wimbledon final when she was only 17 years old, she stunned Serena Williams. Already, she was completely locked in.
During this weekend, if Russia is going to upend the Czechs, she is very likely to have to win both matches, against Pliskova and (gulp) Kvitova, who has beaten her the last two times they have played. Two weeks ago in the semifinals of the WTA Finals in Singapore, Kvitova struck the ball beautifully. This time, though, it’s not just all about Sharapova; it’s she and the team. She seems to like it.
“You are playing a little bit more than just for yourself,” Sharapova said. “You feel it when you are out on the court, you feel the support on the sideline, you feel the energy of the crowd no matter if you’re playing at home or away. There’s definitely extra buzz in the air, especially for a final like this.”
