Maria has now pulled out of Stuttgart and all tournaments after until the YEC. She has I think Linz and Zurich to defend - a lot of big points!

She could possibly fall out of the top 8 in the race if Hantuchova made a huge run but that is unlikely. Her shoulder problems are bad it seems and if she does turn up to YEC say with Henin Serena and Venus I think she could lose very early on.

She has yet to get away from the yipps on her serve and as soon as she comes into 08 she has Australia to defend then a semi at Tokyo and a good clay court season (by her standards).

If she did go into Australia as say 8th seed or even worse she could have a hard quarterfinal losing points!

I'm playing devils advocate her but she could end the australian open out of the top 10 :o ! Having said that I think she will hang in there at say no. 8 and improve her points from Wimbledon and after next year.

Quite agree. She probably needs to have a very good think about short-term ranking vs. overall career.

She's got time on her side - she's only 20, already has 2 GS, is a past No. 1, and has lots of cash in her ass pocket. She is not going to lose the looks that bring endorsements any time soon - but she is at risk of losing her profile as a top player if she does not look after herself.

It's pretty clear that her style of play is getting rumbled by the better players more and more often, and that it is particularly vulnerable when she is not in peak condition.

I am not a fan of hers, but she brings a lot to the game and I hope that she has the courage to stop, not worry about ranking points, and give her body the time it needs to heal completely before she asks more of it again. She might even take the time to look at developing a more varied playing style that doesn't stress her body so much.

If that means dropping miles out of the top 10 she need only look at the recent comebacks of Hingis and Davenport and remember that she is alwyas going to have the advantge over many of her competitors of her indomnitable will.

That very will could also prove her downfall if she allows it to drown out her body's cries for a rest. It does look as though she is listening.

I think its downhill for her.Her type of tennis is really all power play and she has no plan b.Look at the Williams girls and their injuries,though their game is a bit more natural.Maria's looks forced.

Anyyway,if she has to have all these adjustments then its a downward spiral!

the girl has struggled with injury all year. it sucks being injured. if her shoulder was fine, i'm sure she would have played more this season. she likes to compete. but it's beyond premature to write her off just yet. if she was 100% fit, in tip top shape, she'd be challenging for no. 1 and certainly would be firmly planted in the world's top 5.

I think I'll second that... being a bit premature to write her off.... but alot
of the points about aspects of her game seem sound. I always get the feeling her extracurricular activities are also a bit of a distraction. Cause the kind of improvement you would like to see in Sharapova's game requires a lot of practise....so developing a credible plan B should mean spending more time on practice courts... Much like Serena..it does
reveal itself in the way she plays now... extra defensive and with more spin.. abit contrived sometimes... I would love to see that free flowing tennis she used to play a while back.

But you know.. she can always do that ...quick few weeks back at the academy in florida.. like Serena did to get her more familiar style back as soon as she returns from injury... i wonder sometimes if she thinks that working too hard on her physique will affect the way she appears or appeals to advertising agencies and those modelling contracts...

Question,how often has this girl been injured in the last 3 years?Thats a great indication of how fast she is going going gone quickly!

She does find herself playing all the GS and this year found herself reaching the SF of the RG...the draw is secondary...she played good actually in the GS in the early season...reaching finals of the AO and reaching semis in the RG...but with her kind of game...though many may argue as me being too premature to write her off..I do have to agree with Dark's analysis...she's got plenty of points to defend and has a one dimensional game..but age's on her side...so lets see the 08 season.

It's hardly surprsing she is having problems given her playing style (which does not look natrual, if it were then she surely would not have such sever problems?). She will have to adapt her game, but tbh there are so many players otu there with more versatility that there is no gurantee that if she does adapt, she will be hugely successful. It's too early to write her off, she is a player that can get into a groove as Venus does and then be impossible to beat. As long as she ahd injury free periods and can keep her confidence up, she could end up beign like Venus has been over the last few years - unrpedictable but capable of winning a slam if it all goes well.

What worries me with Maria though is that she seems to have the wrogn appraoch to the game. I don't think she is as mentally tough as people say, she crumbled in fort of Serena at the AO and that is not a good sign. Sure she destroys all th elower players but when she gets real top 10 competition she seems ot struggle these days. And sh eneeds to wake up cos the women's tennis world is nto the saem as it was when she stormed to fame in 2004. Not onyl are the Willaimses back in business but there i sa whole host of other players that have shown equal grit and determination, variety, big hitting and the full monty. I think that when she won her first GS it seemed liek a changing fo the guard, but it did not happen for her and I get the impression that she cannot cope with that.

:ok:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/7038379.stm

Just for interest and not for debating purposes since I dont do that anymore.Maria lost yesterday and served 7 double faults.Please all the Maria hopefuls help me understand this.Is she over or isnt she?

she may have some off-court distraction?

Serena has more problems than Sharapova, believe me.

Sharapova will go on :) :) :)