She’s a year older, millions richer, and on the brink of the no. 1 ranking in the world. If she wants to remain Wimbledon champion, though, Maria Sharapova will have to work for it.

The Wimbledon draws are out, and Sharapova, the no. 2 seed, has a tricky road back to the final where she announced herself a Grand Slam champion, not to mention the face of tennis’s future.

After an easy first-round match, the 18-year-old Russian could take on 15-year-old Sesil Karatancheva in the loudest match of the tournament (the screaming Bulgarian dispatched Venus Williams in the third round of the French Open en route to the quarterfinals). In the fourth round, Sharapova could meet another up-and-comer, Tatiana Golovin, a native Russian who plays for France. Compatriots Nadia Petrova, seeded no. 8, and Vera Zvonareva, no. 11, are the top candidates for Sharapova’s quarterfinal opponent.

The semifinals will likely present Sharapova’s biggest challenge. On the one hand, there is French Open champion and no. 11 seed Justine Henin-Hardenne, who can complete a career Grand Slam with a Wimbledon victory. On the other hand, she could face Serena Williams, the two-time champion and last year’s finalist.

Either match promises intrigue and intense competition. Sharapova has performed admirably since her victory last year, winning the year-end Masters event and nearly reaching a second Grand Slam final in Australia, where she had Williams, the eventual winner, down to her last point.

The Russian’s strokes are some of the smoothest in the game; her serve, already one of the best on tour in terms of rhythm and power, is still improving. The quick pace of grass courts will hide Sharapova’s suspect foot speed and court positioning, unlike the clay courts of Paris that kept her off balance.

A meeting with Henin-Hardenne would be their fourth of the season. Sharapova took the first, on a hard court, shortly after Henin-Hardenne returned from a long layoff. On clay, Henin-Hardenne’s best surface, the Belgian handily won the next two matches.

Expect a closer contest this time, with Sharapova prevailing if she plays her best. Not only does the grass more naturally suit the Russian, but she is better prepared for it, having played – and won – last week’s tournament in Birmingham, England.

Henin-Hardenne, meanwhile, left Paris exhausted, her legs and back worn out from a strenuous run at the French that included three three-set matches. Though she is the most versatile and mentally fit player on the tour, Henin-Hardenne cannot afford to play as many loose points on grass as she did on the clay of Roland Garros. The good news is she should have three easy matches before facing either Mary Pierce or young slugger Ana Ivanovic in the fourth round, followed by either Serena or Venus Williams in the quarterfinals.

Yes, that’s correct, Serena and Venus, the champion and finalist in 2002 and 2003, are now reduced to playing a fourth-round match against each other. It’s anyone’s guess whether they will arrive there healthy, if at all, though if they are both playing reasonably well, Serena will avenge her recent defeat against Venus in Miami, where she played terribly.

Nagging injuries aside, Serena’s commitment to playing first-rate tennis has been suspect for almost two years now. This season, she has played all of 19 matches. Sharapova has played 42. Even Henin-Hardenne, who was sidelined until April, has played 28. Serena is without doubt the most gifted player in the women’s game today – if not the most gifted ever – but even she cannot be expected to win having played so little tennis.

While Sharapova, Henin-Hardenne, or one of the Williams sisters will almost certainly claim a spot in the final, the other half of the draw remains an open question.

Top seed Lindsay Davenport’s quarterfinal run in Paris was better than anyone could have expected, and that ought to encourage her on the grass, where she is more comfortable. She should coast into a fourth-round match against Belgian Kim Clijsters. If she can survive that, Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova could be the next challenge in the quarterfinals.

Either Amelie Mauresmo or Elena Dementieva should round out the semifinals – with emphasis on the word “should.” Dementieva continues to struggle with her deeply flawed serve, and Mauresmo has long had a habit of playing well in tournaments leading up to majors, and then collapsing. As Wimbledon arrives, half of her addiction is cured: She played terribly this week in losing her first grass match at Eastbourne, England, to Russian Vera Douchevina. Perhaps that was just the thing she needed for a good run at the All England Club.