Maria Sharapova has made it to the semi-finals of the 2012 Australian Open.  I would guess that Sharapova’s workout routine probably had something to do with her getting there.  She is seeking her fourth Grand Slam title and first since the 2008 Australian Open.  What I’m going to discuss today is the exercises I’ve found for Maria Sharapova’s workout and then what I think she should do to reach that championship level consistently.

Sharapova is a tall woman (about 6′ 2″).  Tall, blonde, and athletic, there is a lethal combination.  Anyways, she feels that her frame isn’t built to put on a lot of muscle, so she really works on her flexibility and then when she lifts it is about strength and power.

But, flexibility is key for her.  If she is more flexible, she feels she is a lot looser, stronger, and can be more relaxed on the court.

Jumping rope is important to her in her routine.  You want to be able to use that for cardio and the quickness on the court.  I also think it helps with hand/eye coordination as well.  Speaking of quickness, she also will do a lot of drills associated with the tennis court.

For example, her coach might throw balls out there and she has to move quickly inbetween the lines to stop the ball, throw it back, then change direction to move towards the next ball which already has been thrown.

I couldn’t find a whole heck of a lot of drills that Sharapova did for her workout.  I kept getting sidetracked looking at the many pictures of her out there.  But, she does do the one drill I have talked about with the previous two tennis players I’ve blogged on: the side medicine ball toss.

This is a great exercise for tennis players because you can mimic your tennis forehand and backhand.  The core’s strength and power is really developed with this exercise.  If you are a tennis player, you need to start adding this in.

She adds a little twist to it.  She throws it in with her agility ladder work.  So, she will do a forward shuffle on the ladder and as she is going down the ladder side toss the medicine ball to her coach.  I’m assuming to simulate hitting on the move when she is on the tennis court.

She also does some rotator cuff work, which I think they all do, and once again, stretches like crazy.  I think she does a lot of yoga movements as well.

What I might add to her routine is something I think I mentioned with Andy Roddick’s workout suggestions: some angled lunges.  Or basically lunges in all sorts of directions.  It doesn’t have to be the same movement each time.  You are moving in different directions on that tennis court so strengthening your legs to be powerful in those directions is a must.

In fact, you could even add a medicine ball twist to those movements.  Just hold a medicine ball straight out from your chest and twist your torso toward the leg that you stepped with.  This would be a great way to strengthen your legs, mimic your tennis movement, and develop that power you need on the court.

I would also add some forearm work, wrist curls or reverse wrist curls, to help with the grip and prevent her from getting tennis elbow.  The stronger your forearms are the less strain that goes across the tendon around the elbow.

Finally, you want to work both directions so your body can stay balanced.  Remember, when the body is unbalanced, that is when injuries occur.

That sums up my assessment of Maria Sharapova’s workout.  I’m not saying she isn’t already doing those exercises I suggested, but if I were her, I would definitely try to add those in.  She seems to be playing well, so maybe next time you hear from me, she will have won her fourth Grand Slam championship.