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
I've said this like 30 times. I feel like I'm saying it again. The physical part of my game is very important right now. It's what I'm working on. That's what's been improving. I mean, if you look at me a year ago, I don't think I was at this point physically. It didn't take five days, it didn't take a month. It took a whole year to progress and get better.
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.
It was tough. I couldn't put two points together. I was tired from my previous match, and now I need some time off.
I think physically it was very difficult to keep up with Svetlana today. She was able to come back from the tough points and play a few more.
I think the surface helps a lot. It gives a lot more free points than other surfaces. Serving aces out of nowhere when you haven't had any before, that comes out of confidence.
She was able to come back from tough points and play a few more. I was just not able to keep up with that pace and that was the key.
When the points started getting longer and longer, I felt that she had the advantage.
A couple of points in the third set made a difference to the end result, ... When I was 1-5 down, I played very relaxed and tied the score but at 5-all, she held her serve after she had a couple of lucky points and it turned her way. I should forget this loss because I had two good weeks in Russia and will take positive things from my game today.
I think we got the point that there was a soccer match or something going on.
I think at some point I may be able to dominate, but honesty, I don't think I'm physically there yet and I don't want to go out there and say I am, when I'm really not.
It gives me a lot of confidence that I can pull out a win like that when there are points in the match where you don't feel great.
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 gave it all I had in the tie breaker and then in the third I ran out of gas, ... At that point it's pretty tough, physically as the points were going longer, it was to Kim's advantage. Physically, I still have to get a lot better.
I kind of gave it all I had in the tiebreaker and just basically ran out of gas in the third set. Physically, I have to get a lot better and play these three-setters where the points are going to go on and on. Today's match is a great example that it's physical.