Sometimes, being one of the strongest women on the WTA tennis tour can have a negative affect instead of a positive one.  Maria Sharapova established herself earlier on in her career and has continued to impress the tennis world.  But from time to time people say that she has a bad attitude towards the game.

Some may consider her on-court ranting and screaming bad sportsmanship, but she’s not the only player to act in such a manner.  In the past she has also been known to withdraw very late from Fed Cup competition, citing injury as a reason and causing some to assume she has a bad attitude.  But it’s hard to imagine anything tarnishing her young career, which seems extremely far from over.

At 20 years of age she has already claimed three Grand Slam titles and has almost completed a career slam already.  The French Open may be the only one to elude her at this point, but she made the semi-finals last season, so it shouldn’t be long before she goes all the way in Paris.

She already holds 18 titles, some won at the most prestigious events in the world.  She has proved time and time again that she is one of the greatest forces to be reckoned with on the tour. 

As well as being a Grand Slam champion she has also graced the top of the rankings, becoming the first Russian to rank No. 1 in the world.  Since 2004 she has consistently ranked inside the world's top five.  And even though she seems to struggle with injuries at times, she always maintains a high level of performance on court.

She is usually one of the favourites to win big tournaments, and even when she isn’t she proves lots of critics wrong.  Even when she seems on the brink of defeat she knows how to dig to deep, and although she may play gritty tennis to escape tight encounters, she never stops fighting.