Maria trying to take some post-Rome presuure off her sometimes achy sholders? Sharapova picks out Clijsters as French Open favorite (Reuters) - Maria Sharapova's victory in Rome last week has marked her out as a serious title contender at the French Open but the Russian former world number one says Kim Clijsters is the player to beat. Belgian Clijsters was a major doubt for the tournament after injuring her ankle while stumbling at her cousin's wedding two months ago but has recovered in the nick of time. "It's always difficult to not play for a few weeks and come back at a grand slam being your first tournament," the 24-year-old Sharapova, who could possibly have to beat Clijsters in the quarter-finals if she is to win the only slam to elude her, told reporters at Roland Garros after Friday's draw. "But, you know, she has a tremendous amount of experience behind her. I don't think this is the first time that she's come back after having a long lay-off. "She's been able to do really well when she's taken time off, so you can never count her out. It might take her a few matches to get into form. That's normal when you haven't played for a while. But she's a great champion, she's won the last couple of grand slams, is number two in the world. "She's certainly the one to beat here."http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/...74J42G20110520