By Douglas Robson, special for USA TODAYPARIS — The player whose drive on the court is matched perhaps only by her business acumen off it returned to Grand Slam tournament tennis Monday in the French Open with an atypical mind-set: understated ambitions.
"I think this is the first time in my career where I can really say I don't have any expectations. I don't know how things are going to work out," Maria Sharapova said after her first win in a Grand Slam tournament since Wimbledon nearly a year ago.
Sharapova, who played with strips of white tape on her rehabbed right shoulder, shook off a sloppy start to beat Anastasiya Yakimova of Belarus 3-6, 6-1, 6-2. Next up is a tough second-round test against 11th-seeded compatriot Nadia Petrova.
Sidelined since August, Sharapova had arthroscopic surgery on her serving shoulder and is competing in her second tournament in singles in the last 10 months. She played one doubles match in March at Indian Wells and won two singles matches in an event last week in Warsaw.
A year ago, now-No. 102 Sharapova came into the French Open seeded No. 1 after the sudden retirement of Justine Henin.
During her time away, the Siberian-born, Nick Bollettieri-trained three-time major champion said she didn't touch a racket for three months and gained some mellowing perspective.
For instance, she won't take losses as hard as she once did.
"It was a little calming," the 22-year-old Russian said.
Her famous fighting instinct, however, is intact. It helped her battle through the "sloppy" start Monday and the long and often frustrating rehabilitation at a facility outside Phoenix.
"If I was a mentally weak person or individual, I think I wouldn't be here today," she said. "I'd be on some island ... with a nice, cold piña colada and a nice cold towel they hand around at the pools."
Her hunger to be back playing big-time tennis is likewise palpable, even if she's been relegated to a dangerous floater in the draw.
"I've always made a point about not really caring who's on the other side of the net and knowing that I have to go out there and just compete and try to win the match," said Sharapova, who won Wimbledon in 2004 at age 17.
Like most things in Sharapova's life, the decision to resume play on her least comfortable surface is a calculated one.
Sharapova, whose best result in Paris was the semifinals in 2007, can get needed matches, reacquaint herself with the pressures of Grand Slam tennis and prepare for the upcoming grass and hardcourt seasons where she thrives.
"It's kind of a Wimbledon tuneup," says her longtime coach and hitting partner, Michael Joyce.
"When she gets on surfaces she likes better ... all of a sudden it's not a new experience."
"It's a great strategy," ESPN analyst Mary Joe Fernandez says. "She needs matches. And if she can win a few and get confidence, it will do a world of wonder for her on grass."
Because clay is slower than other court surfaces, it is also where any lingering weaknesses from her shoulder will be less noticeable.
Sharapova lost her serve once after dropping it three times in the first set Monday.
She averaged just over 100 mph on her first serve, lower than before her injury but not glaring considering that many players aim for a high percentage of first serves on clay. Her fastest delivery was 115 mph.
As the tour's most marketable player — Sharapova earns an estimated $25 million-$30 million annually and was ranked No. 1 on Forbes' list of female athletes last year — her return is a boon for the game, if not for opponents on the other side of the net.
No. 3 Venus Williams said it's always good when a big star comes back: "That's just a no-brainer."
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