AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 15, 2005

Maria Sharapova

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Maria.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: I am very excited to get the new year underway and going finally. I've had an amazing year. I've learned a lot. I've had a really good off-season. I worked really hard at the things that I thought I needed to improve. You know, I definitely hope I'm ready. I feel ready mentally and physically. I hope everything works out.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, I always focus a match at a time. I'm always focused, you know, on my first round rather than thinking how I'm going to do in the tournament. It's not for me to decide; it's more for the media.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: No, it seems like -- yeah (laughter). It really is amazing. Only two years ago, yeah.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: I've been physically working very hard. That's been the main thing in my off-season, I've been concentrating a lot on my fitness. That was the hardest part. You know, after a few weeks, I got into playing a little more tennis and working on little things on the game, but I mainly was on fitness. Do I have any particular goals? I wouldn't really say I do because last year I didn't have any. Most importantly, I want to be happy and healthy. And if I'm that, then everything will be good.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Unfortunately, fitness isn't very interesting (laughter). Even though I'd love to make it interesting, there's just no way out of it.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, I've been working on, you know, basically getting a little bit stronger. I've been running on a beach a lot. You know, a lot of sprints. I mean, there's a lot of things that I did. Nothing in particular. Just mainly I want to have -- work on my endurance a lot more where, you know, I can stay out in the heat and play against top players for two weeks.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: No, it's not that we really sat down. That was always sort of my goal, is to get stronger, and it still is. I don't think there is a lot in my tennis that needs so much work. I mean, obviously I do need to improve in any ways that I can. But physically, you know, that was the most important part. You cannot work hard physically and also work hard at the game at the same time, so you've got to try to balance it out.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: No, I don't. I guess, you know, since I was younger, I've always been expected to do well because everybody thought that I was going to do well. But now that I have won a Grand Slam and won the Masters, I don't feel like I need to prove anybody, you know, nothing more. You know, I know what I can achieve, I know that I can do it. And I've always said it's a matter of time. When time comes, it will happen.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: I didn't need to prove anything. I've never have needed to prove anything. I've always played the game because I've loved it. I never thought that I needed to prove to the world or myself that I am good. You know, I knew that I had a tremendous talent at what I did. But I was only 17 years old, and I still am. Obviously a lot of people expected me to do well, but at 17, it is impossible to win everything you play and everything you compete in. So, you know, I don't think that people really understand that I am only 17.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Uhm, no, not really. I don't think that will -- I mean, obviously I get stopped a few more times than I did before - just a few more (laughter). But other than that, no. I still do, you know, what I love to do.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: I don't know. Time will tell really. I can't predict the future, what is going to happen. You know, I would have never predicted that I would have won Wimbledon last year, so why predict what's going to happen this year?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Uhm, I think women's tennis at this point is very competitive. Everyone that is in the Top 10, you know, are very good players, and that's why, you know, you know that when you're going to play a Top 10 player, you know, you never know. You know the person's weaknesses. You know the person's strengths. You know who the media thinks is going to win or everyone thinks is going to win. But you know it's going to be a match that you're going to play and you never know what's will happen. It's not going to be an easy match. It's very competitive tennis.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: I guess it could, yeah (smiling).

MARIA SHARAPOVA: No. Hasn't been so far, and hopefully won't be.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: If it wasn't fun, I wouldn't be playing tennis. You know, I'm an individual who if I don't like to do something, I would just drop it and never do it again. Either if it's with, whatever, writing papers or playing tennis or anything, if I don't like it, I'm not going to do it.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, it's part of what I do. I obviously understand that. It's part of the life that I'm in, the business that I'm in. You know, when you achieve many things and when you win, you're going to get more attention. And that is normal. You just have to accept it. You know, if I was losing, I wouldn't be here, so I'm glad that I'm here.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: I think everybody has been following their own path. You know, I have. I've always wanted to be my own self, my own individual. I've always wanted to go my own way rather than trying to follow someone else.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: It's not as important as being No. 1 in the world, I'll put it this way (smiling).

MARIA SHARAPOVA: I get along with a lot of the players. You know, obviously it's hard when the players are three, four, five years older than you. We obviously have different interests in what we do. I'm really good friends with Maria Kirilenko because she was around my age. It's more fun because we share the same interests. But I do get along with many of the girls.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: It's very important. You know, if it doesn't happen, I'm not going to, you know, die. I mean, it's important. But that is my dream and I hope I can achieve it. But, you know, many things can happen in life. You know, someone can get injured, you can get injured, and your career is over. So, you know, I'm just taking a day at a time, enjoying life, enjoying what I do, and just working hard, hoping to be No. 1.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: "Seventy Two" (smiling).