Apparently the No 1 Russian will
enter the fray for the first time in the upcoming home tie against Spain next month.
For all that her lack of participation before now has fuelled the commonplace attack--including allegedly from fellow Russian players--that she is 'not really Russian' (even the brief article takes care to play up that history of a 'strained relationship'), I'm sure her help will be welcomed, even from her frequent on-court casualty Dementieva, a longtime Fed Cup stalwart who arguably lifted the trophy in 2005 largely on the strength of her own contributions (like Myskina the year before). Unfortunately Sharapova's timing is perhaps not be ideal, as she might be in the midst of a dip in form and confidence (it remains to be seen how she'll fare in Miami however) and the tie will be played on her worst surface, clay.
But the No 1 Spaniard, Medina Garrigues, has had a lacklustre year so far (4-6) and has yet to turn in the results which saw her win two titles and reach a third final in 2006. Doubles specialist Ruano Pascual is of course a class player, but beyond that I don't think the Spanish squad has enough depth to trouble the Russians, even a somewhat vulnerable Sharapova.
Of course, the most tantalising upshot of all this is that if the Williams sisters remain onboard (their participation in an opening round tie against a Belgium side bereft of Clijsters and Henin will be akin to using a hammer on a thumbtack, so I wouldn't be surprised to see one or both abruptly find other things to do) it could mean a potential semifinal match-up (they are in the same half of the draw) pitting Sharapova against old foe Serena. That's some star quality for Fed Cup. It's probably a remote possibility, since either player is likely to shy away from their obligations if it came to such a pass, but it makes for fun speculation.