TENNIS in DEPTH.

At the AEGON-sponsored events this week in West London and Birmingham, where Maria Sharapova is the main attraction again as Edgbaston Priory, the long drawn-out challenge of clay is replaced by the rapid-fire demands of grass.

Maria Sharapova believes she can win Wimbledon again.

“I go in believing that I have a chance,” the 23-year-old Russian said. “It would be tough to go out there and step on to the court and to have the confidence to beat my opponents if I didn’t.”

“I really love coming on grass and the change from the clay courts and the different bounces. … It brings back a lot of memories,” Sharapova said. “I come into Birmingham every year wanting to play as many matches on grass as I can and to try and get really good practice the week before (Wimbledon) as well.”

Rafael Nadal will spend 45 minutes practising on the courts of Queen’s Club today, he would like to play doubles tomorrow and his first competitive singles match on the surface in two years will be staged on Wednesday. It does not take long for the clay to be dusted from the shoes and lawn to be the operative word in tennis.

In Germany, Roger Federer has signed an agreement to play the Gerry Weber Open in Halle for as many years as his career is extended. The directors of Queen’s have long suspected that it may never attract Federer, but their cast list is undeniably impressive, with Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Roddick and Andy Murray, the defending champion, on top of the pile. “I love this tournament,” Nadal said, “I feel great all the time there.”

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Teenager Laura Robson shrugged off the furore over a magazine interview by qualifying for the Aegon Classic in Birmingham.

The top seed is Li Na, while second seed Maria Sharapova is targeting her third title having won in 2004 and a year later.

The 16-year-old apologised on Thursday for making disparaging remarks about her fellow players in Vogue.

But she made the most of a wildcard into the Birmingham qualifying draw, beating fifth seed Nina Bratchikova in the first round.

On Sunday, opponent Vitalia Diatchenko retired while trailing 6-3 4-0.

“I don’t really know what happened to her or why she pulled out because it was in the middle of a game,” Robson said afterwards.

“I thought I was dictating the whole match, particularly on my service games, so that she didn’t really have a chance.

It means the 2008 Wimbledon junior champion will play in a top-level tournament for the first time by right, having received a wildcard for Wimbledon last year and Luxembourg the year before.

“Usually I lose last round of qualies, so that’s really good!” she joked.

However, Robson joins a strong British contingent at the Aegon Classic, which begins on Monday.

Elena Baltacha, Katie O’Brien and Anne Keothavong made it into the main draw by right, while Mel South, Heather Watson and Naomi Broady were awarded wildcards.

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“There’s not as much thought that goes into my movement on grass,” Andy noted regarding his clay-to-grass transition as he prepares for the the AEGON Championships at The Queen’s Club in London. “I feel like my game automatically translates well to that surface. My chip stays down, my backhand goes through the court a little bit, obviously my serve gets a little bit better.”

As the No. 1 American aims to claim his fifth title in W14, previously winning from 2003-2005 and again in 2007, AEGON enters its second year as the lead sponsor, formerly known as The Stella Artois Championships. Last year, Andy retired in the semifinals against compatriot James Blake after sustaining an ankle injury at 2-1 in the first set. This year, West London welcomes 56 singles players from June 7th – June 13th, with Roddick being joined by these tops seeds- world No. 2 Rafael Nadal, Serbian Novak Djokovic, and Britain’s own Andy Murray, in addition to many other top performers.

The Queen’s Club, the first ever sports complex worldwide, was given it’s title when Queen Victoria was it’s first patron back in 1886. The Club boasts 28 outdoor grass courts, hosting 12 of arguably the finest grass courts in the world, and 10 indoor courts, among other racquet courts and facilities. To get the true feel for this ATP World Tour 250 Event, ride London’s infamous Underground Tube system, get off at Baron’s Court from the Picadilly and District Lines, and stroll through the breathtakingly historical homes on Palliser Road.

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Maria Sharapova will make her grass court season debut at the AEGON Classic in Birmingham which will begin on Monday.  Birmingham will be Maria only warm-up event before Wimbledon which will start 2 weeks later.

Maria has made 7 visits to Birmingham and she won the event in 2004 and 2005.  Last year Maria reached the semis.

The AEGON Classic which will take place at the Edgbaston Priory Club from June 7-13 2010.

Eleven of the current world’s top fifty female players will compete in the tournament and last year’s Champion, Magdalena Rybarikova will be back to defend her crown.

Current world number 12 Yanina Wickmayer, who won in Auckland earlier this year, in addition to Maria Sharapova who won in Memphis in February will both be competing as will Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova.

The Wild Cards will be announced no later than June 4 2010 and the draw will be made at the Edgbaston Priory Club on Saturday June 5 at 12pm midday.

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Andy Murray has slipped to number four in the world after a series of early-round tour defeats, but he is sure he is capable of turning things around on grass when he defends his AEGON Championships title at Queen’s Club in June, despite the event revealing its strongest-ever entry list.

Murray joins a line-up that contains seven of the world’s top-10 ranked players.

Novak Djokovic (2), Rafael Nadal (3), Murray (4), Juan Martin Del Potro (5), Andy Roddick (7), Fernando Verdasco (9) and Jo Wilfried Tsonga (10) have all entered, along with the current world number 11 Marin Cilic.

Murray, who reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon last year, said: “If I play my best I’ve got a chance of successfully defending the title (at Queen’s) and doing well at Wimbledon.

“I know it won’t be easy because they are going to have a strong field this year at Queen’s and Wimbledon always has the best players in the world.

“It’s a great time of the year though and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Before then Murray, who has resolved not to panic about his recent poor form, has the task of patching up his game on the clay of Roland Garros at the French Open later this month.

Then it is on to the grass where last year Murray won the AEGON Championships title without dropping a set, beating James Blake in the final.

World number 18 Gael Monfils, plus the big-serving duo Sam Querrey of America and Croatia’s Ivo Karlovic have also signed up to play Queen’s.

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Former Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova’s bid for a third title on the grass at Edgbaston remains on course after she moved into the quarter-finals.

The Russian dispatched Francesca Schiavone 6-1 6-3 in a little more than an hour to reach the last eight of the AEGON Classic in Birmingham.

Sharapova, who had earlier had to come back to break American Alexa Glatch’s serve in one game to complete a 6-3 6-4 victory which had begun on Wednesday afternoon, had little trouble in seeing off her Italian opponent.

“It’s never easy, but everyone has to deal with these situations,” Sharapova said of the rain-enforced delay. It’s tricky, but I’m glad I could make it.”

The 22-year-old, champion on these courts in 2004 and 2005, is starting to rediscover the form which saw her win Wimbledon five years ago.

A shoulder injury sidelined her for 10 months last year and she is only just starting to climb back up the world rankings (she is currently 73rd) having slipped out of the top 100.

Sharapova now faces Belgian Yanina Wickmayer, who saw off 14th seed Roberta Vinci 6-1 6-4 after earlier defeating Michaella Krajicek 6-2 6-4.

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Maria Sharapova will continue her journey on the comeback trail, playing a starring role at the AEGON Classic in Edgbaston.

A two-time AEGON Classic champion, Sharapova will compete in Edgbaston after nine months on the sidelines with a shoulder injury.

The Russian former world No.1 said she was delighted that her sixth visit to the AEGON Classic would mark her return to grass court competition for the year.

“I’m really excited about getting back on to the grass courts again and playing in the AEGON Classic,” said 22-year-old Sharapova.

“Birmingham is a really special tournament for me and I always get great support. I’ve won there twice before and I always feel very welcome – it’s excellent preparation for Wimbledon.”

Joining Sharapova in the main draw are two of the world’s top-ranked tennis players, Jie Zheng and Kaia Kanepi.

World No.15 Zheng made headlines when she reached the semi-finals of The Championships, Wimbledon last year, defeating No.1 seeded Ana Ivanovic en route.

The Beijing Olympic doubles bronze medallist will be hoping to add a fourth WTA Tour singles title to her name when she makes her second visit to the Edgbaston Priory Club.

The first Estonian to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal (at the 2008 French Open), Kanepi makes her debut in Birmingham this year. Currently enjoying a career-high ranking of No.18 in the world, the 23-year-old reached the semi-finals in Dubai and the quarterfinals in Rome earlier this year.

Some of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour’s most talented rising stars, including Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Urszula Radwanska, promise to add to the on-court excitement

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