Former World No. 1 Maria Sharapova claimed she loves the challenge of competing in a Grand Slam tournament, after surviving a mini-crisis in the opening round of the French Open on Tuesday.
Sharapova had her backs to the wall when she went 3-0 down in the third set against the Dutch qualifier Richel Hogenkamp before making a stunning turnaround to squeeze out a 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 win in what has been her first Roland Garros match since 2015.
The former two-time champion was denied a wildcard by the tournament organizers last year, which got underway almost immediately after she made her comeback from a 15-month doping ban.
Speaking to reporters after her first round win in Paris, Sharapova said: “Well, I love the challenge of being in a Grand Slam draw and figuring out a way to win. I mean, throughout two weeks, you play against different opponents and different circumstances with weather, with a lot of waiting around like we did, you know, to sunshine.”
“So there is a lot of ups and downs, a lot of different feelings, different matchups. You’ve just got to find a way how to handle your emotions and how you handle the matches physically. I thrive on that. I enjoy that challenge, trying to see how I can bring that out of me, how I can keep my concentration, my focus throughout, you know, using my experience, as well.”
“It also doesn’t hurt to be in one of my favorite cities.”
“Well, no year is the same, and no situation is the same. That’s why I still enjoy competing, is because every week, every tournament brings kind of a new challenge and a new way to face it. Nothing is repetitive in this sport. Although you can use your experience and knowledge on what has helped you before, there are always new things and things that you have to come up against.”
“That’s why I still enjoy playing.”
The Russian also spoke about the much-talked about Serena Williams’ body-hugging black Catwoman suit and she acknowledged that she liked it a lot.
“I just got — I did get a little glimpse, but I haven’t seen too much of the match, but I think that’s expected first Grand Slam back. Nike does a really good job of making statements.”
“Yeah, well, that’s the great thing about tennis is that you can, like, express your individuality and be different. Yeah, I love that about it.”
