Maria Sharapova: "Every match is going to be a really good test"

Maria Sharapova says her injured shoulder is holding up and she's "excited to compete again" as she returns this week at the WTA event at Mallorca.

The 32-year-old Russian has not played since St. Petersburg, and also underwent a "small procedure" on her shoulder this season.

"I took this time in order to come back to my first event and feel like I have a really good chance at it," she told press at Mallorca. "From a shoulder perspective, I'm giving it a really good chance here. Every match is going to be a really good test."

Sharapova looked sharp at the Australian Open, where she reached the fourth round, but found the experience largely painful.

"I wasn't really enjoying playing because after every match I would think about what we would do to help my shoulder," she said. "I wasn't really thinking about being excited about the way I was playing, even though there were some great matches that I played in the start of the year."

Though she describes her recent injury problems as frustrating, the five-time Grand Slam champion says she still has the desire to keep playing.

"The next day, you get better and you get a little more optimistic. A few months later, even though it's a long process, here you are and you're excited to compete again," she said. "I've learned over the course of my career that it doesn't always come to you as quickly as you wanted, but when it does, it's incredibly rewarding."

Though players generally avoid putting pressure on themselves while coming back, Sharapova isn't interested in starting slow.

"You want to go on the court and you want to show the type of tennis you think you can produce," she said. "I certainly have expectations for myself."

Sharapova is ranked No. 86 and a wild card at Mallorca.