TENNIS/French Open Championships:At the beginning of this tournament Maria Sharapova described her movement on clay being "like a cow on ice". She complained of a shoulder full of cortisone that she wasn't sure was going to last the two weeks and against Patty Schnyder in the fourth round she faced match points, saved them and went on to win in two hours and 37 minutes of battling.
Like most power hitters who were brought up on the American hard courts and prefer to have a firm footing, sliding on the clay only comes with confidence. Against Schnyder, Sharapova looked even younger than her 20 years but going into today's French Open semi-final against Ana Ivanovic, the number two seed is of a different state of mind.
Along the rocky road to this point she has acquired enough self-belief to find herself in what would be her first Roland Garros final. Twice before the Russian lost at the quarter-final stage, to Paola Suarez in 2004 and Justin Henin a year later. Now a 19-year-old Serb stands between her and the final.
After her quarter-final win against Anna Chakvetadze, Sharapova was asked if she would be surprised if she won the title. "No," she replied. Sharapova fancies her chances now and in Ivanovic, a big, flat hitter, she sees a talented player but still a work in progress. Doubtlessly this is going to be a slugging match from the back of the court.
"Yeah, she actually plays similar to Chakvetadze," said Sharapova. "So she hits the ball pretty flat and big and she's had some success in this clay court season."
Nor does the shoulder appear to be drawing from her ability. "I really didn't know what to expect from it (shoulder). I thought it was going to be worse than it was so I'm very pleased."
Jelena Jankovic and Henin on the other side of the draw have had tougher times reaching this point. Henin had to see off Serena Williams before meeting the inform Jankovic, who faced Venus Williams in the third round and the sixth-seed Nicole Viadisova in the quarter-final.
Henin goes into the match as the favourite and although much is expected from Jankovic, the title holder's pedigree on clay is unmatched in the draw. Henin's principal weakness is her mind, which she assured us after she beat Williams, is in good fettle. "I just understood, if I was mentally and emotionally under control today, I was going to win this match," she said.
Jankovic, though, is a great mover around the court, can mix it up, or, pound balls back in a baseline match. She also has a strong defensive game so Henin can expect to see a lot more coming back at her than usual. Jankovic's second serve is a weakness, so the 22-year-old's most obvious aim will be to get in a high percentage of first deliveries in play.
"She's improved so much and she can play well on clay too," said Henin. "She playing in a lot of tournaments and a lot of matches and now she is one of the best players in the world. She doesn't have mental reservation, she's always happy and she doesn't feel pressure."
