Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova
Maria Yuryevna Sharapova; born April 19, 1987) is a Russian professional tennis player. A United States resident since 1994, Sharapova has competed on the WTA tour since 2001. She has been ranked world No. 1 in singles by the WTA on five separate occasions, for a total of 21 weeks. She is one of ten women, and the only Russian, to hold the career Grand Slam. She is also an Olympic medalist, having earned silver for Russia in women's singles...
NationalityRussian
ProfessionTennis Player
Date of Birth19 April 1987
CityNyagan, Russia
CountryRussian Federation
It was tough today, she was hitting winners off both sides and I couldn't put two points together. I was a little tired from my previous matches.
I was moving quite well in the first set and then second set I felt a little sloppy, ... You know, played a sloppy game at 4-2 serving with the wind, made a few easy errors. But other than that, came back strong. She hits pretty flat, so it was a little different compared to the other opponents I played in previous matches.
I felt pretty good out there, ... I was hitting pretty solid, doing the right things, serving well, putting pressure on her.
Without playing great, without having a forehand or a serve, you win. The bad thing is I can't really hit a big serve and you feel like crap.
Without playing great, without having a forehand or a serve, you win, ... The bad thing is I can't really hit a big serve and you feel like crap.
Eight weeks ago, I wasn't sure if I was playing tennis again. So to be out here feeling healthy and being able to move and hit my shots, that part alone feels great to me, let alone actually playing well. So now all of a sudden I'm faced with the reality that I can actually go enjoy the Open this year because I'm doing a few things right, which is nice to feel. I like where I am right now.
In these windy conditions, it's hard to go for your shots. I think I just try to get the ball in play, hit it deep, you know, get in the point rather than try and hit a winner.
I hit a shot. I turned away. The next thing I know, the crowd went silent, and I turned around and she's on the ground. I feel terrible for her.
I hit a good, deep return and Samantha made some errors, she tried to go for too much and she gave me easy ones to put away.
I played really solid tennis. I played smart tennis. I took out her strengths. It's just exciting to beat someone that's playing such amazing tennis, especially after having a tough few months. I feel comfortable with the pace that I'm hitting and with the way I'm moving.
I played really sloppy on my serve. She took advantage of that and started hitting winners right and left.
I knew it was going to be tough. I came out hitting a lot of winners. I felt like I was playing great. After the second set, I didn't feel like I was there. I felt like I was making too many errors. I managed to get it back (in the third set).
I knew I had to be consistent against her. That's her biggest strength, being consistent. She's not going to overpower me on the court. She's just going to try to make me hit another ball. I thought I did that really well. I took my opportunities, took my chances, and that was important.
The score doesn't say much about the match,