Maria Sharapova is set for success on grass at the Olympic Games and Wimbledon this summer, 1973 Wimbledon finalist Alex Metreveli told RIA Novosti on Sunday.
Both tournaments will be played at the All England Club in London, where Sharapova reached the 2004 and 2011 Wimbledon finals, beating Serena Williams in the first and losing to Petra Kvitova last year.
“Most of all you can expect success from Maria at Wimbledon and the Olympic Games, because grass suits Sharapova better than any other surface,” Metreveli said.
The level of competition at the top of the women’s game meant that Sharapova would probably not win one of the three remaining Grand Slams this year, the Georgian-born Russian said.
“I think that she has less of a chance to win that not. The competition now will be very tough.”
Sharapova’s powerful style suits grass events, but an inability to adapt sometimes leaves her at a disadvantage, Metreveli said.
“Maria has a one-dimensional game. Other girls are capable of offering something else on the court, but Maria can’t.”
“She was taught to play powerful tennis, and she does. It’s hard for her to change something in her game.”
Sharapova has reached four other WTA finals on grass, all in Birmingham, winning two of them.
In addition to her Wimbledon finals, the Siberian-born player won the 2006 US Open and 2008 Australian Open, where she also reached the 2007 and 2012 finals.
Metreveli lost to Jan Kores in the 1973 Wimbledon final, and reached the semifinals of Grand Slams on two other occasions.
Sharapova has a 13-3 record this year but lost her third final of the year on Saturday, succumbing 7-5, 6-4 to Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska at the Miami Masters.
