Maria Sharapova's ballistic return is one of the best in the game. Agnieszka Radwanska says Sharapova's second serve is one of the strongest in the sport.
Sharapova spit up 12 double faults and won just 42 percent of her second-serve points defeating Radwanska, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, in her WTA Finals opener on Sunday. The Russian's commitment to banging away at her second serve regardless of the score is unsettling, Radwanska said.
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"I think she's one of the strongest second serves on tour, that's for sure. But I knew that," said Radwanska, who has won just two of 15 meetings with Sharapova. "She's always serving that way, I guess. Well, that's a little bit surprising, because supposed to be a second serve, not the first two serves. But, well, that's the way she play."
Sharapova is winning nearly 50 percent of her second-serve points this season (49.6). That's tops among the eight-player field in the WTA Finals. It's slightly better than Petra Kvitova and Lucie Safarova, who are both winning 49 percent of their second-serve points.
Sharapova backs up the serve with aggressive court positioning and flat strikes to back opponents into a corner.
"(Sharapova is a) very powerful. Solid player," Radwanska said. "I think no normally weak points and pretty much everything which is on the same level. She's really going forward from the first point. So you cannot really step back, because otherwise she's going to pretty much kill you from every point.
"That's why you really have to play aggressive as well from the beginning. As she serving well and first two serves and return she's really going for it, so the way it is, just not to get back too far and trying have some control as well on the court."
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