Tennis: Sharapova Steps Up Preparations

Maria Sharapova will step up her preparation for Wimbledon this week when she defends the DFS Classic title in Edgbaston, which was the catalyst for her success in SW19 two years ago. The 19-year-old Russian comes into the tournament relatively fresh after a chastening fourth-round exit in the French Open and the extra days' rest may be valuable, with doubts persisting about her ability to recover fully from the ankle injury picked up in an exhibition match in April.

Sharapova, who will not play until the second round in Birmingham, admitted that her ankle had "not completely healed" and said she would be receiving treatment both before and after matches to aid her return to full fitness. Although that process will be helped by playing on grass rather than the harder surfaces, it is unlikely that she will be pain-free by the time Wimbledon starts in two weeks' time. She is in confident mood, though. "My tennis always comes together on grass," she said.

The teenager has won back-to-back titles at Edgbaston but a potentially tricky meeting with Eleni Daniilidou in the third round may threaten her hopes of triumphing for a third time. The Greek made life difficult for Sharapova at the quarter-final stage last year and went on to claim the scalp of the French Open champion Justine Henin-Hardenne at Wimbledon. Other contenders for the title include the Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova, who, like Sharapova, will sit out today's first-round matches after receiving a bye.