In his later years, Miles Davis, the great jazz trumpeter, used to perform with his back to the audience — a gesture often interpreted as an indifference that did not endear him to his fans. For all her accomplishments, Maria Sharapova hasn’t yet mastered a way of playing a whole tennis match with her back to her opponent, though you sense she would if she could.
On her way to beating Klara Zakopalova 6-2, 6-7, 6-4, Sharapova was in full Miles Davis mode. After almost every point, she turned around, turning her back on her opponent and facing away from the court by 180 degrees, returning to the baseline only when she felt good and ready. In the opening game alone Zakopalova was made to wait twice for Sharapova to be ready to return serve, a pattern that was repeated throughout the match.
It is no different from a batsman in cricket facing the wicketkeeper while the bowler is already running in to bowl. It is surprising that so many opponents are prepared to subordinate their own rhythm to suit Sharapova. Someone should serve an ace while she is facing the other way, adding: “Well, I was ready,” as they move to the adjacent serving court. The rules are clear: the returner should be ready when the server is.
It was a cold, windy day at Roland Garros, with clusters of spectators huddled under blankets. At least the conditions provided a legitimate opportunity for French men to indulge their penchant for turning up their jacket collars. Perhaps the weather contributed to the difficulty both players had in holding serve. In the first set, six of the first eight games were breaks of serve. José Mourinho famously said you don’t need the ball to win a football match; yesterday, it certainly seemed a disadvantage to start a rally with possession of the tennis ball.
Before yesterday, Sharapova had been racing through her matches with ruthlessness. But this win was oddly muted. One set up and 5-4, she served for the match, but allowed Zakopalova to recover and force a second set tie-break. This was the best tennis of the match, with Zakopalova’s sweet ball-striking allowing her to dominate the baseline duels.
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For someone who presents such a controlled image to the world, Sharapova has a fragile streak; a brittleness that runs through the icy façade. She seems all the more enigmatic because her image is at odds with her game. Her manner suggests innate poise and balletic grace. But her playing style is more mechanical and pragmatic. She has the body language of someone who would like to win at a canter when in reality she has to scrap.
But the competitive streak beneath her serene mask is Sharapova’s greatest strength. The third set reverted to the pattern of the first, with Sharapova increasingly dominant and Zakopalova struggling to hold serve. That Zakopalova double faulted at match point was appropriate given her serving struggles throughout the match. Sharapova now enters the quarter-finals with a superb opportunity to win her first French Open.
The odds shifted further in her favour while she was on court, thanks to the departure of Li Na, the champion, who lost, 3-6, 6-2, 6-0, to Yaroslava Shvedova, the world No 142. The French Open is the only grand-slam tournament that has eluded Sharapova. Having survived a scare yesterday, it would take a brave gambler to bet against her completing the full set in 2012. As Novak Djokovic showed on Sunday, winning while not at one’s best is the mark of champions.