Buzz: Pressure on Maria Sharapova

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Maria Sharapova probably looks forward to playing Serena Williams as much as she does dinnertime telemarketer interruptions.

A full decade (and then some) has passed since Sharapova last beat Williams, at the Tour championships in 2004. It was so long ago, in fact, that Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, Super Bowl winners that year, were one of the preeminent teams in football.

My how things have changed, said the disingenuous scribes writing this article.

Like Tom and Bill, Serena remains one the most powerful names in the business; she's currently into her 101st straight week as the world No. 1 and has beaten Sharapova 15 consecutive times. In her past 11 matches against Sharapova, Serena has dropped one set. One.

Clearly, this final looks like a mismatch if the stats have anything to say about it.

But how much does their history matter heading into the Australian Open women's championship? The overarching sentiment is that Serena will figure out a way to make it 16 in a row, but our Baseline Buzzers believe we could see the end of this longstanding streak. Or not.

Matt Wilansky: Jim, we've spent nearly two weeks together, and we've managed to get along remarkably well for a couple journos sitting so close to each other in the media center that we can't type two words without rubbing elbows. However, I do get the occasional browbeating from you when I start quoting WWE athletes entertainers. That said, my first question is: What's Sharapova going to do when Serena starts running wild on her? Yes, Serena has been pressed at times in the past two weeks, having lost her opening set in the third and fourth rounds, but there's something about Sharapova that pushes Serena to play exceptional tennis. I don't know what's going to change come championship Saturday.

Jim Caple: Having covered Jesse Ventura when he was governor of Minnesota and labeled us "Media Jackals," I do not require any further WWE wrestler quotes. But I will paraphrase Jesse in "Predator'' by saying that Sharapova ain't got no time to lose. She's the No. 2 player in the world, the richest female athlete in the world, a five-time Grand Slam champion, but she's still Serena's punching bag. Serena will retain her No. 1 ranking no matter who wins the final, and until Sharapova can find a way to beat Williams, she will remain second fiddle no matter how many endorsements she secures. The question, however, is not whether Sharapova pushes Serena to exceptional tennis -- she plays exceptionally against everyone -- but whether Serena pushes Maria to an anxiety level where she simply cannot play to her best.

Matt Wilansky: It's a fair question. The stress Sharapova does feel when she plays Serena kind of belies her Stone Cold (sorry!) demeanor -- but Serena will do that to anyone. However, Sharapova has gained a new perspective on her game since a second-round scare in which she survived two match points against 150th-ranked Alexandra Panova. Sharapova has played much cleaner in her past four matches. Matter of fact, she hasn't lost more than three games in any set. "I better get my stuff together," Sharapova said after her decisive win against Eugenie Bouchard. "So, yeah, it was important to change some things around."

Jim Caple: Sharapova is playing very, very well. But will she continue that strong performance or start feeling the butterflies when she walks onto Rod Laver Arena and sees someone who so owns her that Serena probably charges her rent. As former baseball player Gary Gaetti once said, "It's hard to play when you have both hands around your throat." Serena, meanwhile, has the right attitude about this. As she said after beating Madison Keys in the semifinal: "I don't have to go out there and have another title. I want it, but it's not life or death for me. I think that helps me he relax." She most definitely wants to win, but that relaxed attitude allows her to play her game better.

Matt Wilansky: Which is some of the irony surrounding this match. Ostensibly, Sharapova has nothing to lose, considering she has lost, well, 15 straight times. But the reality is that her legacy would be dramatically elevated if she were to win. Sure, we like to throw around the word "legacy" as much as Bethanie Mattek-Sands likes to change outfits, but if Sharapova were to beat Serena Williams while the American is still No. 1 in the world and, do so in a Grand Slam final, suddenly that losing streak becomes a little less painful. Not to mention Sharapova would pass Martina Hingis and Althea Gibson, among others, on the all-time Slam rankings.

Jim Caple: Saying she has nothing to lose is like saying the Cubs don't have anything to lose. Of course, Sharapova (and the Cubs) do. As long as you play, you can always lose more games. And until you win, all that losing is going to haunt you. Which is why she feels so much pressure. How she handles the pressure will be key, but so will Serena's physical status. She's been dealing with a virus and cough the past week, so if that is any worse in the final, this could finally be Sharapova's chance to end the decade-long losing streak. And if not? Oh, well. As Cubs fans say, wait 'til next year.

Matt Wilansky: And as Ric Flair says, if you want to be the (wo)man, you got to beat the (wo)man.