Sharapova, Myskina fight to get back on top

Two years ago, the Russians ruled the roost in women's tennis.

They don't anymore.
While Maria Sharapova, Anastasia Myskina, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Nadia Petrova and Elena Dementieva still compete for titles on a weekly basis, currently, there aren't any Russians among the world's top four and it's a rare week at a big tournament when one of them is tabbed as the favorite.

This week at the Tier I Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, Calif., Belgian Justine Henin-Hardenne is the top seed and is seen as the woman to beat after winning Dubai two week ago by running circles around Sharapova.


Maria Sharapova hasn't won a title since June of 2005. (Andrew Wong / Getty Images)

Southern Californian Lindsay Davenport is viewed as having the next-best chance, and with the legendary Martina Hingis returning to the U.S. for the first time since 2002, the mouthy Swiss is the talk of the tournament.

The Russians are around, but they aren't all the rage, not even Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Sharapova, the 2004 Wimbledon champion, who hasn't won a title since late June.

Sharapova isn't the only Russian wondering about her proper place in the game: 2004 French Open champion Myskina hasn't won a decent-sized singles title since the end of 2004; Svetlana Kuznetsova, the 2004 U.S .Open champion, hasn't captured a crown since taking the U.S. Open a year and half ago.

None of them will call it a significant slump, but it's certainly an indication that while Russia is by far the deepest tennis nation on tour with eight players in the top 30, it's on somewhat shaky ground when it comes to be called a dominant nation.

Two years ago, Russia was legitimately called a tennis superpower, with three Grand Slam champs and the Fed Cup trophy in hand. Now, it's a major power, but cannot be termed super again until one of its players win another Slam.

All credit should given to Dementieva for winning her first Tier I title in Tokyo over Hingis last month and for Petrova for taking down Mauresmo in the Doha final last week, but no Russian woman has reached a final of the last five Grand Slams, where most of the world is watching.

The Russians may have held a premature revolution.

"What happened, happened," Myskina said. "For every one it's tough to play at a top level every year because there are so many good players who want to beat them. Ten or 15 years ago Seles and Graf dominated and were in every semifinal or final, but now if you look at the draws, it's tough to get up there every tournament."

Sharapova had the best season of any 18-year-old on tour last year, winning three titles and reaching the semifinals of three Grand Slams. But 2006 has started much like 2005 ended : she's going deep at every tournament but losing dicey contests to the other elite players.

She lost a brutal three-setter in the Australian Open semis to Henin-Hardenne, she was tripped up by Hingis in the Tokyo semis; and then in Dubai got revenge on Hingis, took down Davenport, but then fell to Henin again.

Sharapova clawing and scraping, but is often having nail marks left in her back.

"It's better than losing second round every tournament," Sharapova said. "I've been one of the most consistent players over the past year, but I'm not yet at the point where I can play two tough matches and come out and play Justine and beat her easy. But I know my game is there. There's no rush. Semis and finals is a better place to be than losing early."

The 6-foot-2 Sharapova notes that she just stopped growing and that she's still getting used to living in her tall body. She doesn't have the natural strength of a 25 year-old, or the foot work of a 5-foot-5 speedster.

Her offense is lethal, but her defense is pretty soft.

"Last year I grew an inch," she said. "Overnight, your body is not going to adapt. But I definitely am improving."

Sharapova remains one of the best ball strikers on tour off both wings, but doesn't always choose the right shots at key moments. As she says, she's a top-5 player because she's not afraid to take risks, but if you look at the most successful players over the seven years since Graf retired, outside of Lindsay Davenport, they could all change up their games and wear their foes down with tireless retraining. That goes for the Williams sisters, Jennifer Capriati and both Belgians.

But Sharapova is sticking to her guns.

"I don't remember any matches I've lost during the last year where it's been mental outside of two," she said. "I'm not going to wait for my opponent to miss. That's not my style. I want to be the one winning the match and not waiting for my opponent to lose."

Myskina had a very difficult 2005, entering the year with a real shot at No. 1, but then emotionally collapsing in the first half of the season as understandably, she couldn't focus while contending with the fact that her mother, Galina, was diagnosed with cancer.

She nearly skipped defending her title at the French Open, but by the time the U.S. Open rolled around, her mother was in recovery and she rediscovered her bright smile.

But Myskina's intellectual, speedy game hasn't caught up to her off-court joy and now she sits at No. 12 in the rankings, an unfamiliar place for a Fed Cup heroine and a woman with 10 titles.

This year, she was blown out by Patty Schnyder at the Australian Open and has suffered close losses to Dementieva, Ai Sugiyama and Martina Hingis.

She's a very difficult match for everyone, but isn't facing players down when contests pass the two hour mark. She's a slight woman with fast and strong legs whose upper body is to thin to muscle a forehand.

"I'm not on top of my game, but it's getting better and better," Myskina said. "If I can my get confidence back it will be easier to play. My game is coming back, but my confidence isn't there yet. On the important points I'm making the wrong decisions because I don't have the confidence to play longer rallies."

There isn't as much external pressure on Myskina anymore because she's no longer a top 3 player who's a month or so from seizing the top spot. So now it's not her national media pushing her, it's her own heart and mind.

"Now I have the pressure because I know I can be top 5, but I'm not, so I push myself," she said. "I ask myself why am I No. 12? Last year I was really putting a lot on myself. Now I'm trying to more positive on court and off and I think its working."

Deep down, Sharapova, who briefly reached No. 1 last summer, believes that within a year or two, that she can dominate the tour. You won't see her smiling after losses, only kicking herself to get better.

"That's what makes me great," Sharapova said.

The 24-year-old Myskina doesn't believe she's capable of such a feat, but does think she belongs in the elite mix. If both of them find what it takes, Russia will be all the rage again.

"I still think I can be back in the top 10 and top 5, but you need to find inner peace you to reach that goal," Myskina said. "It's tough because you put pressure on yourself or someone puts pressure on you. But when you find inner peace, it's easier."