FRENCH OPEN
Venue: Roland Garros Date: 24 May - 7 June
Coverage: Live on BBC Red Button, live streaming and daily text commentary on BBC Sport website, updates on BBC Radio 5 Live plus second week commentary on BBC 5 Live Sports Extra. TV coverage on Eurosport.
 Sharapova found it hard going against Bondarenko on Thursday
Maria Sharapova will play at the French Open after her return from a nine-and-a-half month injury absence ended with defeat by Alona Bondarenko in Warsaw. The 22-year-old, on the way back after shoulder surgery, lost 6-2 6-2 in the quarter-finals in Poland. "This was the best preparation I could have had," said the Russian, who has dropped to 126 in the rankings. "I gave myself a chance to play in a tournament and now I will go out and play again next week." Sharapova, who is a former world number one and has three Grand Slams to her name, was cautious when asked about her French Open hopes.  | 606: DEBATE |
"I don't have any expectations," she added. "I don't think this is a time in my career to have expectations in my second tournament back after not playing for 10 months." And Sharapova paid tribute to Bondarenko after the Ukrainian enjoyed a comprehensive win in Warsaw. "I give her all the credit for doing all the right things and stepping up and playing her game and playing it really well," said Sharapova. "She didn't make many unforced errors, she hit many balls back and when my balls were going a little bit shorter I tried to go for it a little bit more and wasn't as patient as I should have been. "But those are the mistakes you're going to make coming back and you have to learn from those mistakes." Bondarenko enjoyed her first win over Sharapova in three attempts. "I played her twice before, and I thought it was going to be a harder match," said the Ukrainian. "She played (in the past) without mistakes, and right now with lots of mistakes. Her serve isn't as powerful as before either."
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