She was forced to take a leave from her professional tennis gig to get shoulder surgery back in October of 2008, but Maria Sharapova was in fine anatomy as she defeated Venus Williams by the weekend.

The former #1 female tennis player (currently ranked #15) beat Williams 6-3, 6-4 to show that she’s on her way back to the top of the rankings.  But it is going to take all kinds of hard work.

“The match against Venus was fun.  The

first match of the year you never know what to expect, you are always just getting your feet back on the ground.”

“It was a pretty competitive match, but we were both glad it was only two sets as it was very hot, other than that it was fine. There are always many little things you can work on, but it was a good base and a good place to start.”

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