Maria Sharapova in bnp Paribas open 2018

There’s just something about the BNP Paribas Open that brings out the best in Maria Sharapova.

Since her Indian Wells debut in 2002, she has notched 38 match wins and reached the Round of 16 or better on nine occasions.

Sharapova’s best showings in the desert came in 2006 and 2013 when she won the title, both times without dropping a set. Since 2006, only one other person has won the title without losing a set (Vera Zvonareva in 2009).

Sharapova returns to Indian Wells Tennis Garden in the hopes of rekindling her desert magic. Despite all her success over the years here, she has not been to the quarterfinals since her 2013 title run. In 2018, the former World No.1 will look to become the first woman to win three singles titles at the BNP Paribas Open.

Sharapova has claimed 36 WTA titles in her career thus far, including five Majors. She is one of only ten women in history to have won a career Grand Slam. When Sharapova descends on the desert for her first appearance at the BNP Paribas Open since 2015, she’ll do as an unseeded player, posing a dangerous threat in the first round and setting up one of several intriguing early week match-ups.