Maria Sharapova expected in Montreal

Maria Sharapova says her ankle injury appears to have healed and she looks forward to a strong hardcourt season leading up to the U.S. Open in September. On her itinerary is a stop at the Rogers Cup event Aug. 14-20 in Montreal, after tournaments in San Diego and Los Angeles.

"I'm excited - I'm finally injury free," the 19-year-old Russian said on a conference call Thursday. "I had a good tournament at Wimbledon and then had a week off, and now I'm training for the U.S. Open series. "Last year, I went into the U.S. Open with almost no matches. This year, I'm looking forward to building my game and my confidence going into the U.S. Open."
"I'm a work in progress," she said. "Just because I won a grand slam when I was 17 doesn't mean I'm going to get a win at every slam. I'm happy. I'm 19, and to be consistently in the top five in the world and getting to the semifinals of grand slams and coming close. . . I've played some really tough matches against Amelie, and Justine. I don't feel I'm at the peak of my career," she said. "I feel like there's so much work ahead of me that can make me better. I can't start worrying about the fact that I haven't won a grand slam since (2004)."

"Experience has a lot to do with it. I'm playing girls who are 24 years old. They didn't win a grand slam when they were 17, but they're at the peak of their careers at 24 or 26. I've always been a player who plays by instinct," Maria Sharapova said. "I can't worry about what other people want me to do. You travel with a coach to help you with things. They scout the players and things like that. But on court, you don't worry about what you're going to do. You play your game."

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M. Sharapova Interview - Day 10

Thursday, 6 July, 2006

Q. All the off speed balls she fed you in the third set, how much of a problem was that for you?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, just making a lot of errors coming in. She forced me to come in, forced me to hit a good approach shot, try to make me hit a good volley. Especially in the end, well, beginning of the third set, I would try to come in. Sometimes didn't have a lot on the ball and she came up with some good passing shots. Sometimes just made sloppier errors from the approach shot.

Q. Her serving and volleying, did that catch you off guard a little bit?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: No, she served really good in the first set. But when I got a good hit on it, felt like I did a pretty good job, but felt like I could have made her volley a little bit more.

Q. You put up such a fight. Did you feel that maybe you might have the edge in that final set?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Uhm, I think in both games I had 30 Love and I had, you know, chance to get back to one all in the third. Had many opportunities and just didn't go my way. You know, at 4 0, you know, at that point you're just trying to win a point. You know, I was just trying to do that, got back to 4 2, and she just came up with some really good serves at 4 2, yeah.

Q. What's your overriding emotion now? Is it disappointment or pride that you took it to three?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Oh, after every loss it's disappointing. But, you know, every loss teaches me a lot. Obviously, there's a lot of things that I'm gonna need to improve to beat the top players. You know, that basically shows that when you play against top players. But, you know, I look forward to, you know, coming back, working on those things, working with my weaknesses and coming back and playing her again, as well as other top girls.

Q. You go fairly deep, like in the second week, in several Grand Slams over the past couple years. Do you think the next step is a bit of a mental block or something?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: No, it's definitely not a mental block. Nothing today or my previous matches have anything to do with mental. Uhm, you know, against Justine in Australia, I thought I was very physical. I definitely felt like she was a lot fresher in the third set. You know, today it was just a few errors here and there in the beginning of the third set when I did have the momentum going in the third set and, you know, making a few unforced errors when I shouldn't have made them.

Q. What do you think you'll learn from this match?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Uhm, that I need to be patient against top players. You know, when you have your opportunities, you got to take them. Uhm, you just especially in the third set, after having the momentum, there was no reason for it to just go the other way all of a sudden, you know?

Q. What will you be working on now?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Uhm, what I will be working on? I don't know. At this point I don't want to think about it.

Q. You talk about playing the top players. With your ranking, you would be considered a top player yourself. How big a gap is there between where you are and the top 1 and 2?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: I don't know. You mean points wise?
Q. In what you have to do to cross that gap.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Lots of practice, lots of work, you know, on my fitness, on my volleys, you know, coming in. You know, there are a lot of things that will help me play against top players but, uhm, you know, you always are gonna have your chances no matter how good or bad your opponent is. You know, I thought I had chances and, you know, sometimes she just came up with the good serves or, you know, I missed an inch or two here and there goes the match, so...
Q. You feel that there's a distance, that you're still not a top player yourself, in your definition of a top player, then?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Why would you say that?

Q. Well, just simply because you're talking about what you have to do to beat the "top players." With your ranking, you would consider you're already a top player?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I consider top players top 10 in the world, top 5 in the world. Those are the players to beat, especially in the semifinals or finals of Grand Slams.

Q. This is a tough process for any player to come in after a tough setback like this.
MARIA SHARAPOVA: It's not really a setback though.

Q. Isn't Wimbledon the most important tournament for you?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, it is. Of course it is. I've always said it. But, you know, I take every loss as a new beginning, you know, to improving new things. It teaches me a lot. I'm gonna go back on the court and I'm gonna work. I'm gonna keep working until I get better at those things. It's definitely not a setback.

Q. How do you manage to achieve that? That's a wonderful frame of mind.
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Just got to go and do it, you know. Sometimes talk is cheap. It's a matter of going out and doing it, you know. In a few days, I'll be back on the practice courts, and that's what it's all about.

Q. How soon will you be back on the court?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Uhm, I don't know. Maybe a week, few days, yeah.

Q. What's the US Open Series plan here? How many tournaments do you want to play, and how are you going to space them out so you go into the US Open with the maximum amount of court time and rest?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Uhm, my first one will be San Diego, so I have three weeks from now. Uhm, two weeks of good practicing. But, uhm, I'm not sure. I mean, I actually want to try to play three in a row maybe, then have a week off, then go into the US Open. But see how it goes. I mean, if I feel healthy, I'm gonna definitely try to play three.

Q. Are you looking forward to getting that first electronic line calling one right, right?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I'm gonna try (laughing). Don't remind me of that.

Q. She long had a reputation for being fragile mentally. Obviously, LA, Australia, has changed it. Have the players or do you yourself have a different view of her now, of Amélie and how she handles tough moments?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: You know, going on court, you can never think of that. I mean, you can never think of what she's done in the past or what she's achieved or what she's not good at. I mean, I got to look at the present. I got to look at what's in front of me. If that happens... You know, unfortunately it didn't. It's just the way it is. But I don't when I go on court, I don't worry about that. I don't think what she's done in the past or what she's achieved.

Q. Who's, according to you, the favorite for the final?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Doesn't matter at this point for me. I'm out of the tournament. Tournament's over.

Q. You were talking about being more patient. Were you conscious of that on the court? When you had the time out by the cameras, were you trying to tell yourself to be more patient or did you think about that after the match?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Uhm, I don't know. I mean, I didn't come off the out of the match and say, I need to be more patient. I think it was just a fact against someone like Amélie, you just got to do it. You know that she's gonna make you hit another ball, and she chips lots of balls back. You know, sometimes I went for a little bit too much, and sometimes I felt like there was nothing on my ball coming in on those approach shots because that's what she tried to make me do. She was hitting serves 110, 111. She was just hitting them back, chipping them back, waiting for me to come in and making me hit a volley. I felt like I just sometimes wasn't doing enough on those approach shots, or was doing too little.

Q. We now move well beyond the halfway point of the year. What kind of results would you have to have to have it be a successful year for you?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Uhm, I mean, I'd love to win the US Open. That's definitely my next goal.

Q. Are you going to hang around London for a little while, or head straight back out?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Uhm, I'm gonna head out to Topshop tomorrow. Gonna go on a shopping spree. I look forward to that every single year (smiling).

Maria Sharapova reach semis at Wimbledon

Maria led Elena Dementieva 6-1, 4-0 on Centre Court before losing the next three games in a row and facing two more break points in the eighth game.

But the 2004 champion dug deep to hold serve and eventually secure a 6-1, 6-4 victory in one hour and 10 minutes. Maria Sharapova needed just 27 minutes to win the opening set, saving a break point in the opening game and then immediately breaking her compatriot to race into a 3-0 lead.

M. Sharapova Interview - Day 7

Monday, 3 July, 2006

Q. Did you feel sometimes in danger or you were always very, very extra confident?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: No, I just didn't feel like I was playing my best tennis. In the end, it all came down to how much I fought. Not to it wasn't really about how good or bad I played, or how good she played, because she played extremely well. You know, I just fought deep and, you know...

Q. Did you expect she could play so well?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Of course.

Q. Where you a bit surprised?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: No. You know, I can never underestimate my opponent. Going into the fourth round, I haven't played her in a while, but I did have a tough match against here a few years ago. I knew that it wasn't going to be easy. She's beaten some top players. She's had experience. It was just up to me to do my job.

Q. Your level went up a lot from the second to the third set. What were you thinking during the break between sets?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Not too much. I had my opportunities in the second. I had a point for 3 All in the second. I let that go. Then I had other opportunities that I didn't take. You know, I was missing a lot of approach shots. She was giving me a lot of those short, low balls. I was missing a lot of those. I think in the third set, you know, I finally, finally hit a few. Her second serve came in. I think that put pressure on her because the game I broke, she didn't make a lot of her serves. Then she went for a dropshot, which she hadn't done in a whole set. So, you know, I think I put a lot of pressure on her and hung on because she came up with good shots, even when I had a set point in that whole game, she played a very solid game.

Q. When you were 5 All, she had the chance to go 6 5, breakpoint on your serve.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: There were a lot of breakpoints today.

Q. Do you think that was the most difficult moment? If you had lost the first set, would have been more difficult? Do you remember more or less that moment?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: No, I don't remember that particular moment. But I do remember, though, we had a lot of we both had a lot of chances in the first set. Seemed like we were both getting each other's serves back. The points were longer. It wasn't just the big server, winner or miss. Yeah, I mean, I think both of us did a good job on the breakpoints.

Q. You're favorite for the title just about. How much better are you going to have to play?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Definitely I'll have to step it up for my next match. You know, like I said, I don't think I played my best tennis. You can't come out every single day and play your best tennis. At the end of the day, I came out with a win. You know, hopefully I'll improve tomorrow.

Q. With 10 double faults in your match, is that more or less usual or more than your average?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: It's definitely more than my average. But, uhm, you know, maybe I felt like I had to go for a little bit more because she was really returning well. Maybe that had something to do with it. The wind was swirling out there, as well. I felt like on one side I served terribly, and on the other side I served pretty well. It was a bit strange.

Q. Can you give us an idea of what effect the heat made out on the court. It's pretty open courts.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, it was very hot, humid. But, you know, if it's hot for me, it's hot for her. I mean, it's been pretty warm the last couple of days here. So, kind of expected it. But it is unusual to wake up every single morning for, I don't know, the past seven or eight days and see sunshine.

Q. It seems like sometimes you're following the ball in, then other times you're

MARIA SHARAPOVA: hesitating (smiling).

Q. Hesitating, and then going back a little, hesitating and waiting. Do you think that's part of the process of learning to come forward, it will come with experience?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, today I think I hesitated because I think I made a few errors. You know, I think I made three or four errors on pretty big points where I missed the short ball and I tried to come in. Maybe I was rushing it a little bit too much. After that, I began hesitating, and she took advantage. She got a lot of balls back. She has a great advantage, she can run a lot, is physically very strong. Definitely hesitated a little bit.

Q. When you hit the low forehand volley, a couple you hit in the third set cross court, you seemed happy. Does all the hesitation go away, and you think that you can really do this, get up there and win points?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, that was definitely one of my mentalities in the third set, trying to step in, actually going in. If she hits a good shot, she comes up with a winner on the dead run, that's just too good. But I was finally doing that. I made a few good, tough volleys, especially in the last game.

Q. Do you analyze your matches with your dad and Michael and talk about it afterwards or look ahead to the next match? Will you talk about this match?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: In the following hour, yeah, you do. You see what your mistakes are, you talk about a few things here and there. But, uhm, you have to move on of course. I think I play tomorrow, so there's not much time to analyze on the previous match.

Q. What was the strongest shot of Flavia and what were her weakest, from your point of view?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: I don't think she has a huge weapon. She's just a solid, solid player. I mean, I think one of her best shots is her return. You know, she made me hit a lot of balls, whether I didn't serve smart enough or whether she was just too good. I did feel she was returning well today. I don't know. I mean, it really came down to just a few points in the third set, you know.

Q. There's obviously a lot of effort out there. You seemed to be making a lot of noise towards the end of the match, maybe more than usual. Do you worry about the effect it has on your opponent?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: No, I just worry about myself.

Q. How tough a fight is Dementieva going to be?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, it's going to be really tough. I'm sure both of us want to be in the semifinals. I've always had really tough matches against her. She's physically very fit and strong, gets a lot of balls back. Just have to be ready for another big fight.

Q. Talking about your personal music likings, I heard you like Nelly Furtado. Anybody else?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, I have a lot I love Damien Rice, The Fray. Sia is the new one I've been listening to. Kanye West.