What I love about Maria most is something she doesn't get enough credit for - her absolute focus on every point from the first to the last. I've been watching tennis for more than 40 years and I've seen MANY players tank a game at love-40 or even a set (men) but NEVER Maria. I love what Mary Carillo once said about her because it is so true, she said, even down love-40 she still thinks she can beat you. And a LOT of the time she does. Amazing player, were it not for that horrible shoulder injury after the 2008 Australian Open where she played the best tennis of her career, she'd have a lot more slams than she does and I believe at just barely 25, she is going to get more, including, I hope THIS Wimbledon. And gold in the Olympics wouldn't trouble me either. I'm American but she is my favorite player and has been for since that first Wimbledon, actually she is my only favorite in the women's game.
Chris Evert paid her a wonderful compliment during the French Open, she said she is the consummate professional, never complains after a loss, admits what she did or didn't do, never offers excuses, she just goes about her business. I cannot abide players who after a loss don't even compliment the other player for having played well, just offer excuses, like I didn't serve well, or I didn't feel well, or I didn't do whatever. Yes, I mean the Williams sisters. Neither ever compliments anothers game or admits they just got beat, there is always some excuse or many.
Maria IS the consummate professional and I can't say how highly that makes her rank as a player AND a person in my book. I admired Chris Evert for the same reason in her heyday, though she didn't have the game Maria does, her grit and her consistency made her a winner. Maria has all of that plus the pure power I love to watch. I'd like to see her more at net especially if things aren't going well because when she does get there, she dominates, those swinging volleys are amazing. I wish she'd let them all bounce, just to give her more time to see where her opponent is headed, but that is the only critique I can offer. This is a Hall of Fame player at her peak. If I can't figure out when she is playing exactly, I'll DVR the whole darn time frame and FF till I get her match and then delete the whole thing. She really is the only reason I watch tennis these days. So, keep going Maria, I only wish I could have seen what Martina saw when she met you at 6, or the matches you played growing up, I would have loved them too. 
