PARIS — Sidelined in 2008 by a right shoulder that needed surgery, putting her tennis future suddenly in doubt, Maria Sharapova decided to use the free time to study a new language, the one spoken at the only Grand Slam tournament she had yet to win.

"I found a French school close to my house," she recalled, "and I did private lessons every single day for three months."

Sharapova cut short those classes when it was time to begin the slow, painful rehab process and get her shoulder back in shape. About 3½ years later, on Saturday at Roland Garros, Sharapova put all of that hard work to good use on the most important clay court there is — and even trotted out a little French during the victory speech she often wondered if she'd ever get a chance to deliver.

Whipping big serves with that rebuilt shoulder, putting forehands and backhands right on lines, and even moving well on the red surface she once worried made her look like a "cow on ice," Sharapova beat surprise finalist Sara Errani of Italy 6-3, 6-2 to win her first French Open title and become the 10th woman with a career Grand Slam.

"It's a wonderful moment in my career," the 25-year-old Sharapova told the crowd in French, before switching to English to add: "I'm really speechless. It's been such a journey for me to get to this stage."

Truly has.

So much came so easily for Sharapova at the start: Wimbledon champion at age 17; No. 1 in the rankings at 18; U.S. Open champion at 19; Australian Open champion at 20. But a shoulder operation in October 2008 made everything tougher. She didn't play singles from August 2008 until the following May, when her ranking fell to 126th.

"It wasn't getting better as soon as everyone thought it would," she said about her shoulder. "That was the frustrating thing, because it was like, 'When is this going to end?'"

It took until her 10th post-surgery Grand Slam tournament for Sharapova to get back to a major final, at Wimbledon last July, but she lost. She also reached the Australian Open final this January, but lost again.

Really, though, there's something apropos about Sharapova's fourth career Grand Slam title coming in Paris, rounding out the quartet at a spot that always seemed to present the most difficulties. Her powerful shots lose some sting on clay.

A global celebrity with millions upon millions of dollars in endorsement deals, Sharapova put herself through the grind required to get back to the top of her sport — and to get better than ever on red clay.

She's unbeaten in 16 matches on it this season, including titles at Stuttgart and Rome.

"I could have said, 'I don't need this. I have money; I have fame; I have victories; I have Grand Slams.' But when your love for something is bigger than all those things, you continue to keep getting up in the morning when it's freezing outside, when you know that it can be the most difficult day, when nothing is working, when you feel like the belief sometimes isn't there from the outside world, and you seem so small," said Sharapova, who will return to No. 1 for the first time since June 2008 in Monday's WTA rankings. "But you can achieve great things when you don't listen to all those things."

Djokovic, Nadal square off in final

Novak Djokovic has won 27 matches in a row at Grand Slam tournaments. If he can make that 28 by beating Rafael Nadal in Sunday's French Open final, Djokovic will earn a fourth consecutive major title, something no man has accomplished since 1969.

Tough to imagine someone so close to such a historic achievement being an underdog, yet that's exactly the case for Djokovic.

Even the 25-year-old Serb says so.

"You can say that he's a favorite, definitely," Djokovic conceded.

Really? Even though Djokovic beat Nadal in each of the past three Grand Slam finals?

Well, yes. Because as good as Djokovic is on all surfaces and in all settings at the moment, no one ever has been as good as Nadal is on the red clay of Roland Garros. Set aside that Nadal owns 10 Grand Slam titles overall, twice as many as Djokovic, and simply consider the 26-year-old Spaniard's superb French Open bona fides.

While Djokovic hopes to complete a "Novak Slam" — only two other men in the century-plus annals of tennis have been the reigning champion at all four Grand Slam tournaments simultaneously — Nadal seeks his record seventh trophy at the French Open. Only Nadal and Bjorn Borg have won the title six times.

All told, Nadal is 51-1 at his favorite tournament, including 3-0 against Djokovic, who's never before reached the final in Paris.

"He has lost, what, two matches in his career here?" Djokovic asked during a news conference after eliminating 16-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer in the semifinals.

As reporters began to correct Djokovic's count, he continued: "One? That says enough, I mean, about his quality on this court. ... I haven't won a set against him in this court. All the facts are on his side."

Nadal's only loss came against Robin Soderling in the fourth round in 2009. And, amazingly, Nadal might be better than ever. He has won every set he's played over the past two weeks, losing a total of only 35 games through six matches, the lowest total for a player getting to the final at any major tournament since Borg's 31 at the 1980 French Open. Nadal has won 71 of 72 service games, saving 18 of 19 break points.

"His position on the court is better. His serve is better in this tournament. And his backhand is so much better," said Toni Nadal, Rafael's uncle and coach. "It's also about his head, knowing when to come forward more, play more aggressive."

Djokovic, it must be said, keeps getting better, too.

It's been more than a year since he lost a Grand Slam match against anyone, anywhere: June 3, 2011, in the French Open semifinals, when Federer snapped Djokovic's 41-0 start to last season.

Since then, Djokovic has gone 7 for 7 on the grass courts at Wimbledon in late June and July, then 7 for 7 on the hard courts at the U.S. Open in late August and September, then 7 for 7 on another type of hard courts at the Australian Open in January, and 6 for 6 so far on the clay courts at the French Open in late May and June.

That sort of consistency and versatility is rather rare.

Only Don Budge in 1938, and Rod Laver in 1962 and 1969, have won four Grand Slam tournaments in succession. Budge and Laver went 4 for 4 within a calendar year each time; Djokovic's feat wouldn't quite equal theirs, therefore. On the other hand, Budge and Laver didn't need to master four different playing surfaces.

Since that last Grand Slam 43 years ago, the closest any man came was when Federer twice compiled 27-match winning streaks at major tournaments and needed to win the French Open final to close the deal. His opponent in those 2006 and 2007 finals? Nadal, of course.

Maybe that's why Federer, asked to weigh in with a prediction for Sunday, replied: "I obviously pick Rafa. I think he's the overwhelming favorite."

Easy to forget, perhaps, given his utter dominance of late, but there was a time when Djokovic was not nearly as strong of body and mind as he is now.

He quit during his second-round match at the 2005 French Open. He stopped after losing the first two sets of his 2006 French Open quarterfinal against Nadal, citing a bad back. An infected blister on a toe was the reason given when Djokovic pulled out of his 2007 Wimbledon semifinal while trailing Nadal again. While losing a match against Federer at the Monte Carlo tournament in 2008, Djokovic stopped again, complaining of dizziness and a sore throat.

But a new dedication to fitness and a gluten-free diet have helped Djokovic. So has a self-belief that he says stems from leading Serbia to the Davis Cup title in December 2010.

"I feel different nowadays. I believe I'm at the peak of my career," Djokovic said. "I'm playing the best tennis of my life in last year and a half."

Now, for Grand Slam history, all he needs to do is win once more.

Won't be easy, though.

"Going to be a difficult match for me," Nadal said. "Hopefully, for him, too."