Melbourne: Maria Sharapova’s faltering career hit a fresh low Tuesday when the five-time Grand Slam champion was turfed out in the first round of the Australian Open in straight sets.
The 32-year-old former world number one carried a haunted look at times in a 3-6, 4-6 defeat to Croatia’s 19th-seeded Donna Vekic.
There were flashes of the form that helped make Sharapova one of the most marketable women in sport, the 145th-ranked Russian coming back from 5-1 down in the first set.
But Sharapova, who was banned for 15 months for failing a drugs test at the 2016 Australian Open, succumbed in the first set in 36 minutes.
Playing on the centre court Rod Laver Arena — a sign of Sharapova’s enduring pulling power — she broke to go 3-1 up in the second set.
But Vekic broke back twice and sealed victory on the second match point when Sharapova fired wildly wide.
Sharapova was given a wildcard into Melbourne, where she won the title in 2008, and has struggled badly for form and fitness since returning from the ban for taking meldonium.
She missed large chunks of last year with a shoulder injury and has seen her ranking plummet.
The Russian, who last lost in the Melbourne first round in 2010, has now slumped to opening defeats at three Grand Slam tournaments in a row.
Meanwhile, defending champion in men’s singles, Novak Djokovic said he had been taking tips from serving maestro Goran Ivanisevic after he hammered down a series of aces in his first-up win.
Djokovic smacked 14 aces and had a first-serve percentage of 65 per cent in his grinding 7-6 (7/5) 6-2 2-6 6-1 win over Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff in round one.
The Serb credited his work with Croatia’s Ivanisevic, who served up more than 10,000 aces in his career and joined the 16-time Grand Slam winner’s team last year.
“Throughout my career my serve was maybe a little bit underestimated because of the quality of the returns and the baseline play,” he told reporters late Monday.
“There were times I was struggling with an elbow injury and I had to change the technique of my serve and a lot of things were happening, but in the last year-and-a-half I feel great serving.
“Obviously I pray to have serving days like I had today all of the time. I know it’s not possible but I can back up my serving game from the back of the court.”
The 32-year-old came through a mid-match lapse against Struff, the world No. 37, and said he was glad to have an early test as he goes for a record-extending eighth Australian Open crown.
“Historically I had a lot of success in the Grand Slams where I had a tough opponent in the first round, because it gets me going from the beginning,” he said.
“I have to be alert, I have to be on a high level and I think I was. Of course, you can always play better and I expect myself to be better as the tournament progresses.” AFP
Djokovic thanks Ivanisevic tips after flurry of aces
