Can Maria Sharapova win another Slam?

In a September 14 interview with the BBC, Maria Sharapova was asked about the potential of a sixth Grand Slam.

“I would love to and that is my goal – it’s certainly up there with a lot of other things I would like to accomplish. I’ve been fortunate enough to win five Majors and complete a career Grand Slam, but in my mind I like to think I haven’t won any in order to have that hunger and motivation.” She responded.

So can she do it? Can she win another Grand Slam? Yes… but it’s going to take a herculean effort.

What are the hurdles Sharapova faces and how can she overcome them?

Related: Sharapova: Critics don’t have the facts

Hurdle 1: She’s 30 – Concerning
Unfortunately there isn’t a great track record for Grand Slam winners in their thirties. Serena is the only active woman to do it, however Flavia Pennetta and Li Na did it in 2014 and 2015 respectively.

Added to this is the fact that her body is starting to break down. In 2009 she had shoulder surgery that caused her to fall out of the top 100, and more recently has been hampered with forearm and thigh injuries – the latter forcing her to miss the entire grass court season.

Since her return, however, Maria has been moving well; while she lacks the athletic prowess that earned her a No.1 ranking as an 18-year-old, she’s still hitting the ball with power that most women just don’t have. Sharapova is 9-4 so far in 2017 with wins over Simona Halep, Mirjana Lucic-Baroni and Ekaterina Makarova and is coming off a final 16 appearance at the US Open.

Hurdle 2: Serena – Not concerning (surprisingly)
To Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams is an on-court Babadook that haunts her at every turn. She is 2-19 against the American and, according to Maria, Serena ‘[still makes me] feel like a little girl’.

But Serena has serious question marks of her own. She’s missed the bulk of the 2017 season with pregnancy and will be 36 by the time she steps on court again – can she return to her dominant best?

As much as Maria likes to promote the mutual respect the two supposedly have, there has to be some part of her that is frustrated that she is always an afterthought when people talk of the greatest female tennis players of the 21st century. This should provide some serious motivation to get a late win over Serena when she’s arguably at her most vulnerable.

Hurdle 3: Garbine Muguruza – Very concerning
The world No.1 is set to dominate the women’s tour for at least five years. At 23-years-old she has already claimed two Majors – something that hasn’t been done since 2009 – and is 42-16 on the year.

Muguruza looks to have that one special quality that few women have in the modern era: she gets better when the lights get brighter. The Spaniard is the only player to beat both Williams sisters in Slam finals and has a very Federer-esque demeanor on high pressure points.

What’s more, she prioritises Majors over world rankings; after her 2017 Wimbledon triumph she said “I’d rather be No. 10 (and) win Grand Slams than be No. 1.”

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Hurdle 4: Four-year drought – Kinda concerning
Here’s the total number of active players that have won a Grand Slam four years apart: two. One of them is Svetlana Kuznetsova, and the other is a woman by the name of Maria Sharapova.

Sharapova is perhaps the most resilient tennis player – man or woman – of all time. She’s got an insane amount of mental stamina and an ego that makes her believe she can achieve the unachievable.

Hurdle 5: The next generation  – Not concerning (except Muguruza)
Every year we hear the same thing: “Brace yourself, the next generation of women’s tennis is coming.” Well, they’ve been saying that for the entire Sharapova-Williams era and plenty of women have come and gone in that time.

Don’t get me wrong, Elina and Jelena and Madison and Sloane and Karolina have all showed flashes of greatness, but few have shown the propensity to step up in the big moments (save for maybe the new-and-improved-and-totally-terrifying-Sloane-Stephens) or play consistently dominant tennis.

Maria is just cut from a different kind of cloth. This new wave of youngsters might have what it takes physically but mentally they have a long way to go.

Conclusion
The rational take would be NO – Maria can’t win another Grand Slam. But if 2017 is anything to go by, sports isn’t rational. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned from watching sports it’s don’t bet against the person who will stop at nothing to achieve their goals.

Maria Sharapova is unquestionably one of those people.