Backhanded Compliments

[Warsaw, Poland; May 18. Image via Getty]

Russia’s Maria Sharapova returns a shot to Italy’s Tathiana Garbin during their first round match of the Warsaw Open tennis tournament in Warsaw on May 18, 2009. Sharapova, the highest money-earner in women’s sport, had been out of action since last summer due to a shoulder injury, missing last year’s Wimbledon and US Open as well as this year’s Australian Open. The 22-year-old Russian has seen her world ranking slump from No.1 to No.126 during her absence from the sport, but she played with plenty of grit to secure her place in the second round of the claycourt Warsaw Open today. AFP PHOTO / JANEK SKARZYNSKI (Photo credit should read JANEK SKARZYNSKI/AFP/Getty Images)