When Maria Sharapova walked on court for the Australian Open final, she kept thinking about the sage advice of another champion. "Champions take chances, and pressure is a privilege," Billy Jean King had written in a text message that Sharapova saw when she woke up. "I took mine," fifth-ranked Sharapova said after beating Ana Ivanova 7-5, 6-3 Saturday for her third Grand Slam title.

Sharapova, who didn't lose a set in seven matches, was clearly determined that nothing would stop her after winning only three games against Serena Williams in last year's final.

Maria Sharapova is set to make her Fed Cup debut for Russia next month in Israel, while Venus and Serena Williams will skip the U.S. match against Germany. The fifth-ranked Sharapova leads the Russian team announced Wednesday for the World Group series Feb. 2-3 at Ramat Hasharon.

"I'm so excited about this trip," she said on the Fed Cup website. "It's one of my priorities for this year, along with competing in the Olympics. I'm looking forward to the team experience and visiting Israel for the first time."

QUESTION
How would you describe today's match? Was it difficult out there for being off the court for a while?


MARIA SHARAPOVA:
No, not really. I had a really good start to the match, you know, considering the conditions changed so quickly. I warmed up outside. Our little warmup was pretty much outside, and then all of a sudden the roof was closed.

Mentally, you've just got to be prepared for that, and, you know, you're playing an indoor match where you've basically been playing outdoors for the last five matches.

Jelena Jankovic might be one of the few genuine friends Maria Sharapova has on the womens tour, however that didn’t stop the Russian slaughtering her former junior stablemate 6-3, 6-1 to waltz into the Australian Open final for a second straight year.

Sharapova wasn’t quite as sharp as Tuesdays quarter final demolition of world number one Justine Henin, but she was still in a another league. The 5th seed bombed her way to a 5-0 lead, before losing her way, conceding the next three games. Order was quickly restored, Sharapova looking every bit the champion in waiting.

Quarter final Interview with Maria Sharapova after defeating Justine Henin of Belgium earlier today, 6-4 6-0.

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