Maria Sharapova admits the only things that helped her survive a gruelling battle to recover from persistent shoulder problems was her love of cooking and a good book. Sharapova will be one of the main attractions at Wimbledon next week after finally returning to action following 10 months on the sidelines.
But during the long and painful months of rehabilitation, Sharapova occasionally questioned if she would ever get back to full fitness. It those moments of despair she would take her mind off the injury by burying her head in a book or trying to cook her grandmother's recipe for dumplings. "It's one thing to say your shoulder is healed but it is another going out there and playing. I'm not saying it is easy," Sharapova told the Sun.
"There were three times when I was going to come back and everything went down the tubes. Finally I said, 'I don't care what tournament it is, I just want to be fit'. "My grandmother taught me lots of Russian dishes to cook. Dumplings with fillings, Russian borscht - that's a tough one. I also spend a lot of time reading books.
Sharapova, who won Wimbledon as a 17-year-old in 2004, is seeded 24th at the All-England Club this year, but, with her appetite for the game refreshed by that long lay-off, the lowly ranking won't stop her trying to emulate that victory five years ago.
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