Maria Sharapova will return to the place where she won her first Grand Slam tournament at the age of 17, this time however, the Russian will be looking for Olympic glory.

In June the Russian won the French Open to complete her career Grand Slam, and looks in fantastic shape. Having missed out on the Beijing Olympics following a career threatening injury, she is now charged up and eager to go.

“I was pretty bummed when I couldn’t play in Beijing,” the third-ranked Sharapova said in an interview. “I was like OK, well the next one is in London, and the next one happens to be where I won Wimbledon.”

Sharapova said that competing at the Olympics was something she had looked forward to doing even as a young girl.

“Coming from Russia, the Olympics is a huge deal,” she said. “Walking in with all the incredible athletes side by side, it will be an incredible experience.”

Novak Djokovic would himself be the flag bearer for his country - Serbia and is seeded No.2 this year.

“It feels incredible, I remember being at the opening ceremony in Beijing, and how amazing it was to be part of that,” Djokovic, 25, said in an interview.