MARIA, THE FIGHTER

Maria Sharapova will kill you softly with her will. The dogged fighter and determined competitor never gives up on any point and chases down every ball. She is in fantastic condition as she has followed a very carefully structured physical conditioning programme since young. What's more, she knows it - and this, for her, is a confidence booster during matches.

She uses her condition to intimidate her opponents, by chasing, hitting hard and being relentless in her efforts. A big factor at the moment is the success of her fellow Russians. It's much easier to be strong mentally if you can see other older players from similar backgrounds playing well and being successful.