Maria Sharapova To Face Johanna Konta Monday At Wimbledon

Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova will take Centre Court Monday at Wimbledon 2015, facing Johanna Konta, a 24-year-old wildcard from Britain.

Earlier this year, Sharapova suffered an unexpected loss in the fourth round of the French Open to Lucie Safarova, which resulted in the ever-competitive Sharapova dropping rank to No. 4 in the world in women’s tennis. Sharapova was battling the flu during the French Open, which may have been a contributing factor in the loss, though she has claimed that it had no effect on her performance.

The 28-year-old Sharapova will face a relatively unknown player in Konta, who is currently ranked 126th in the world. Sharapova is known as a fierce competitor, who can intimidate opponents with focused play along with rampant grunting and noise making that can throw off a game, as well as extended pauses during the course of a match that can break up momentum.

“It is just another tournament,” Konta said in an interview with The Guardian. “Obviously its Wimbledon and that’s beyond exciting but the season is much longer than just this. I am looking forward to the fact that I get to play Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon. I don’t think too many people can string those words into the same sentence.”

And Konta isn’t the only one looking forward to the competition at Wimbledon. Many tennis fans are hoping to see a rematch of the intense rivalry between Maria Sharapova and American tennis star Serena Williams. With Sharapova’s lowered rank, it could be a real possibility in later rounds, which could prove to be exciting.

Both Williams and Sharapova consistently show up for Grand Slam tournaments, but the No. 1 ranked Williams has been the more recent victor at Wimbledon, taking the women’s title in 2012. Sharapova won Wimbledon in 2004, making her last appearance in the finals back in 2011; but Sharapova is rested and has something to prove having had a sub-standard showing at the French Open.

Though tennis is a big part of Sharapova, garnering her many lucrative endorsements, and she certainly isn’t looking to hang up her racket any time soon, Sharapova has a sweet spot for another profession that she is dedicating much time to, Sugarpova, a confectionery that she started a few short years ago.

“As far as the days I’m able to give to my sponsors, I don’t do much for Sugarpova in terms of photo-shoots and things. My sponsors definitely take more time for that. But in terms of the business side, that’s Sugarpova’s time,” she said in an interview with The Independent.

[Image courtesy of Harry How/Getty Images]