Sharapova takes a gamble

PARIS: Maria Sharapova admits that she is gambling with her hopes of a second Wimbledon title by opting to test her suspect ankle on the gruelling clay courts of Roland Garros at the French Open.

The decision almost backfired spectacularly when she saved three match points to beat America’s Mashona Washington in Sunday’s first round here and the 19-year-old fourth seed agreed that she’s at the centre of a high-stakes game. “It’s a difficult decision,” said the Russian. “It’s like a poker game. I don’t know what cards are going to show up.” 

Sharapova, the Wimbledon champion in 2004, came into Roland Garros having not played a clay court match all season after an eight-week spell on the sidelines nursing a painful and swollen right ankle.

After her 6-2 5-7 7-5 escape against Washington, where she came back from 2-5 down in the final set, Sharapova revealed that she had undergone another MRI scan on the ankle after aggravating the problem in practice on Thursday.