QF interview

MARIASHARAPOVA

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English, please.

You looked very tired, but you fight until the last ball. Can you explain what you feel, how you feelnow.

MARIA SHARAPOVA:
Um, it took me a while, obviously, to startgoing for my shots and create, you know, good opportunities to come to the netand finish the point off, you know, closer to the court.

Yeah, it just ‑‑you know, I guess you could only ask your body to do so much. You know, everything fell a little shorttoday. The pace wasn't there on mystrokes, and, you know, I was five steps slower today.

I think everything kind of combines. The fact that, you know, she just playedreally solid and made me hit a lot of balls, and I came up short today.

Thegame today, it looked as if the score didn't reflect the game. It didn't look as if it should be such adifference in the score within the game. What happened? It's as if youlost most of the crucial points.

MARIA SHARAPOVA:
Yeah, definitely. I don't know, second game of the match, 15‑40,I missed two returns in a row. I mean,that's just, you know, stupid. You giveyour opponent so much confidence.

And many games afterthat it was 30‑All. Yeah, obviously whenyou lose a few of those in a row, your opponent all of a sudden gains momentumand gains confidence, and then it's pretty difficult to get those opportunitiesback again.

So you've got to take advantage of them whenyou have the opportunities.

Yousaid you can only ask your body to do so much. Is that because of playing four long matches before this?

MARIA SHARAPOVA:
I don't know. I'll ask you that question. Whatdo you think?

Did not having had much match work over the past year have an effect, doyou think?

MARIA SHARAPOVA:
I think for the previous matches, yes. I think, you know, if I didn't ‑‑ if Iwas smart and finished the match off when it had to be finished off or, youknow, didn't have letdowns, absolutely.

But I don't think ithad anything to do with today.

Your shoulder, how did it feel today?

MARIA SHARAPOVA:
It's fine. It's good.

The French public supported you very much, especially at the end. You are happy with that?

MARIA SHARAPOVA:
Absolutely. Yeah, I was very appreciative of the way they were rooting for me,asking for me to fight and, you know, to keep working and find a way to turnthings around, you know.

Yeah, definitely. I've had a really great last few weeks here,and I can only tell them that I'll be back next year.

Was there anything she did that was particularly troublesome to yourgame today?

MARIA SHARAPOVA:
I just think she did ‑‑ she was just asolid ‑‑ she made me hit a lot of balls. She was very solid. She did theright things, I mean, in order to win.

She won. I guess that's what ‑‑ I guess that'swhat only matters in the end.

Two things: Overall, pretty goodrun here. Could you comment on the bigpicture of your big comeback this spring and here? And realistically, when do you think you'llreach your peak? Do you think you'll beable to turn it around by Wimbledon, or morerealistically US Open?

MARIA SHARAPOVA:
I think this is a very good starting pointfor me, definitely. I always say you'reonly as good as your last tournament. Reflecting back on everything that I've been through in the last year, Ithink I can sit here and say I'm pretty proud of what I've achieved, not onlyin this tournament, but in that whole time.

I just gotta keepworking and keep my head up. The onlything I can do is just work on the things that you feel you need to improve andkeep getting better. That's ‑‑ it'sonly going to help you.

On a scale of 1 to 10, where would you place your physical?

MARIA SHARAPOVA:
Um, I don't really like scales, so I don'tknow. I don't know where it is. I don't like numbers, either.

How will you prepare Wimbledon?

MARIA SHARAPOVA:
How?

Yes.

MARIA SHARAPOVA:
Just go on a practice court and hits millionsof balls and work on the things I need to improve.

Yeah, I'll definitelytake a couple days off and then get on the grass.

The other day you said that maybe the people are supporting you nowbecause you're not anymore No. 1 or you're sort of underdog. But don't you think that all these changes atthe top of women's tennis have somehow disorientated the people and they wouldlike to see you back as the queen of the tennis as you were supposed to become?

MARIA SHARAPOVA:
Well, I mean, the one thing I've always saidabout ranking is, yes, I think numbers never lie. They always reflect on your performance andwhat you've achieved.

But taking that aside,I think ‑‑ I think no matter if you're ranked No. 1 or No. 100, it takesjust as much work to get there. It takesa lot of hard work. There's no one inthis draw that lacks that work. I have atremendous amount of respect for everyone.

At the end of the day, I mean, I've been No.1, and I've done really crappy while I've been there. But I'm ‑‑ you know, I'm just lookingforward to getting back out there and getting there again. I mean, I wouldn't be here if I didn't thinkI could do it again.

Therewas another day which was a very bad day for you in Indian Wells when youplayed Lindsay Davenport. Today when youwere down 6‑Love, 5‑love, you were almost...

MARIA SHARAPOVA:
Look what happened when I lost to LindsayDavenport. I won two more Grand Slams,so...

Yeah, that's why. So we wish youthe same thing.

MARIA SHARAPOVA:
Thank you. Very nice of you.

What happened then and what was the difference with today? There was completely differentsituation? Can you try to remember alittle bit and tell me how?

MARIA SHARAPOVA:
That was years ago. Yeah, I don't remember much of it because itdidn't last long. I played two differentopponents, today and two different situations on two different surfaces, andit's tough to reflect on that.

You haven't spent very much of your life behind 6‑Love, 5‑Love and matchpoint. What were you thinking at thatpoint? Was it as strange as it wastough? I mean, what was the thought?

MARIA SHARAPOVA:
I mean, the only real difference isnumbers. Like I said, I don't reallycare about numbers. It's either a W oran L, and I prefer W.

You know, if it's 7‑6in the third and you come out with a loss, I mean, what's the difference, youknow? You lose.

I mean, obviously you try to give 100% andyou try to fight for everything. AndI've always been a fighter and I will be. You know, you can only ask yourself to do so much. When you run short, you've gotta keep yourhead up and look forward to the next opportunity you get.