We have already seen that Nadia Petrova has the weapons to look like a Grand Slam champion. Her serve scorches down with a might thump and goes deep. She can hit aces out wide and down the line.

Both wings are pretty solid, as they can keep tough rallies going without dropping the level of tension and power. The Russian can dump the ball in every corner of the court, she can do this so well because her movement up court is exceptional. If you look at her forehand motion you will see that she can brush up balls as well as bludgeon them.

Petrova also plays on the doubles circuit. It seems to help her a lot as she usually knows how to move up to the net and finish off points. The Russian uses her slice to get back into points as her defensive game always keeps her standing strong.

'The Russian uses her slice to get back into points as her defensive game always keeps her standing strong'

For most of the time Nadia is a solid player who plants herself just inside the top ten. But just before the 2006 French Open, Petrova kicked her level up a notch or two, as she claimed four titles leading up to Roland Garros, taking back-to-back-to-back clay court titles as well as claiming wins over Amelie Mauresmo and Justine Henin. Unfortunately the Russian suffered an injury which derailed her French Open dreams and kicked her out of Paris in only the first round. She was a shabbles at Wimbledon and the US Open but she then eventually found form.

So we know that Nadia could be a potential threat to the top players in 2008. All she needs to do is surface her best form and string it along with consistency, slap it on a clay court and Nadia Petrova will once again be a force to be reckoned with. However Petrova can be prone to mood swings at times, which hasn’t helped her. But if she can find Grand Slam winning mentality maybe she can regain her true potential and re-enter the top five.

If she really wants to improve her Grand Slam chances she need to tame her temper. She has a very vibrant game to win and retain numerous titles and maybe a bit of fine-tuning can make her game bullet proof. But the real problem seems to be her mentality, an element that is pivotal to further success.