Defeated Sharapova takes step in right direction

LONDON - Maria Sharapova believes her run to a first Wimbledon final in seven years is firm proof that the injury-plagued years which threatened to derail her glittering career are now a thing of the past.

Sharapova slumped to a 6-3, 6-4 defeat to an inspired Petra Kvitova in Saturday's title match, but the 24-year-old Russian insists that she has done enough to convince the doubters that she is still a Grand Slam contender.

It's a confidence that she would not have had in 2009 when she missed almost a year of action because of a shoulder injury.