TENNIS WIMBLEDON 2014 – 24th of June. M. Sharapova d. S. Murray 6-1, 6-0. An interview with Maria Sharapova
Q. Slightly shaky start, but fairly comfortable after that.
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, there’s always a bit more tension coming into the first round of a Grand Slam. It was such a quick turnaround. Just a couple weeks ago you’re on the clay, coming onto the grass, with the new grass and new surface, it’s a different feeling.
It was obviously a bit slower start than I wanted, but happy overall with how I progressed through the match, which was the important key.
Q. What did you make of Samantha’s attempt to blast you away from the first point?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I think she has a pretty aggressive game. I believe she enjoys playing on grass because she served and volleyed a couple of times, really went for her shots, stays quite low as well.
So, yeah, sliced a bit and came in. Quite unusual game. But I think she made a few more unforced errors than she would have liked definitely.
Q. You struggled with your serve in the first two or three service games, but once you broke and were 4-1 up, it went pretty well. Troubles with the service due to the new environment and different surface?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, definitely. As I said, it was certainly a slow start. I wish I didn’t make those errors.
But I think as the match progressed, I got more comfortable, found my toss a little bit better. I think my percentage went up, which was quite important considering she did want to play an aggressive game off of the second serves.
Q. After what happened last year, was it just important to get a victory, to kind of settle things down, get on to the roll of being back in Wimbledon in the tournament?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I try not to dwell on what happened in the past, whether good or bad memories I had, whether it was last year, years before.
This is a new day. It’s not a new tournament, but it’s a new opportunity. You start from scratch. That’s the way I treat the first round.
I try not to think about what happened. I have a great opportunity to do well here. I’ve had great memories. There’s no reason why I can’t turn those results around that I had in the last couple of years.
Q. And the form that you carry into Wimbledon, can that be any help? Obviously a different surface, but can you take anything from that?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, the match play. I played a lot of matches in the last couple of months. That’s always great because I’ve been put in very different situations, whether I was up or down come through some very tough ones, played some very physical matches out there. So that gives me a lot of confidence going into this tournament.
Although this is a quicker surface, it’s still very physical, requires a lot of speed and reaction, footwork, all those things. That combination is never quite easy. That adjustment always takes a little bit of time. That’s why I’m happy that I settled in as the match went on today.
Q. You were pictured traveled by Tube to or from Queen’s last week. What do you make of the public transport in England these days?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I think I picked a crowded hour (laughter). Maybe it’s always like that. I’m just inexperienced.
But it was nice. I think it was the quickest route at that point. But, yeah, I do enjoy doing that once in a while.
Q. Many have spoken about this incredible love of competition that you have that seems so natural to you. Could you talk about that. Does the competition take you to a new level as a person? Is it something that you learn from? Why do you love it so much?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I’m not sure. I’ve loved it from a very young age, whether it’s just being first in line, eating something faster than a friend of mine, I don’t know, demonstrating a drill on the court when there were people on the court. I always wanted to be the first one. That was always a type of competition for me.
There’s different ways of expressing that competitiveness for me. When you’re deep in the third set, that feeling, that’s what I worked so hard for, to get out of that situation on a good note.
Maybe other people really don’t want to put themselves in that situation. Actually, when I get there, I don’t think, Well, I must have lost the set and I did something wrong. I think, I got myself in this position and I have to fight my way through it to win the match.
I’ve always thought that maybe my mentality is a little bit different. Going into a third set, I really relish on that opportunity.
Q. When you turn your back to the court and think for just a moment, is that a pep talk to yourself? What is your internal dialogue at that point?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: It depends the stage of the match. Just to give yourself a few seconds of that time within yourself really. Everything is so fast-paced out there. It can change very quickly, the dynamic of the game. I like to give myself that moment to think clearly whether I’m doing well, to keep that focus, or whether I have a little bit of a letdown and I need to regain what I was doing well, what I can improve.
I just like to take that moment. I’ve done that for a really long time.
