MELBOURNE, Australia — Back on the tennis tour after more than six months away, Novak Djokovic faces a significant challenge as he attempts to navigate big-match pressure in the prime of his career with a new service motion.
But at least one 30-year-old champion has traveled this biomechanical and psychological road before him and remained a champion.
Maria Sharapova changed her motion significantly after undergoing right shoulder surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff in 2008, several months after she had won the Australian Open in overpowering fashion, serving particularly well.
“It was hard,” Sharapova said on Saturday night at the Australian Open after losing in the third round in straight sets to Angelique Kerber.