WIMBLEDON

July 3, 2004

Maria Sharapova

THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen. Wimbledon Ladies Singles Champion, Maria Sharapova. First question, please.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: No, actually I have a Nokia. That was my dad's phone that he gave me. I kept turning it on. It kept going off. I kept turning it on. It kept going off. It's actually a Chinese phone, so I told myself not to bother any more.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: It's amazing, really. I'm absolutely speechless. I never, never in my life expected this to happen so fast. And it's always been my dream to come here and to win. But it was never in my mind that I would do it this year. When I came off the court and I saw my name on that board already with all the champions, that was when I realized that I had just won. And I was trying to look at the trophy and I was trying to see, I mean, it's in my hands, I don't understand, but it's actually in my hands. When I came after on the court and saw the board with my name on it, 2004 Wimbledon Champion, that was just it for me.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: I didn't think about it, but I kept believing in myself. Last night I got a terrible sore throat, and I thought that I was going to get sick. I mean, a Wimbledon final, I was absolutely in tears because I did not think anything like this could happen. I did not think I would be ready to play a Wimbledon final and win. I don't know. I just -- it's amazing.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: To tell you the truth, I don't know what happened in the match. I don't know how I won. I don't know what the tactics were (laughter). I was just out there. I was just playing. I could really care less what was going on outside me. I was in my own little world - I don't know what world that was really.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yes, I am. I'm very surprised because, first of all, the first set, I mean, it was very tough, but I felt throughout the whole set like I was in control. I don't know how I got to that point in the first place. And in the second set, when I lost my serve and I was down 2-4, I was, like, "Okay, Maria, get yourself together." But I pulled it out.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: No. I don't know. I hope it doesn't change the person who I am right now because I really don't want that to happen. I think I already told a few people, "If I change, then hit me in the head, please."

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, yeah, holding that trophy is one enjoyable time in your life, definitely.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: No. Well, yeah, after I won, match point. I mean, that's an enjoyable moment, for sure.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: You know, I did not think -- I did not think that this was a final. I did not think who was playing. I was just concentrating on what I was going to do, just on myself. I knew that the power was within me and that I could -- if I put my mind to something, I would do it. That's what I thought about the whole match.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, definitely.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: I didn't really know because I didn't see her play throughout these two weeks. To tell you the truth, I did not have a big tactic going into this match. I was just there to go out and play my game and figure out a way to win and figure out what I needed to do just to get used to her game a little bit. Did that pretty fast.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: When? Right before the match? I had to go to the bathroom, what else (laughter)?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: No. They were kind of rushing me to go on court. I was like, "Okay, I need to go to the bathroom." But then they already put the flowers in my hands. I was like (laughter). They put the flowers in my hand expecting me to go on court. I was like, "Listen, guys, I have to go to the bathroom." I didn't really pay attention until I got on the court. It was like, "I really got to go."

MARIA SHARAPOVA: It did.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: No. I was zoned in, but we had a little kid that was going to do the coin toss, and she was there. She was waiting to go on court before us. So we were just, you know, looking at her, having a little chat. You know, I didn't know that she was doing it. The referee was there. But we were just waiting for everybody to go on court before the players did.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: That's not going in the public eye (smiling).

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Again? Oh, a lot of sacrifices, just going to the United States when I was seven, not being able to see my mom for two years, being away from my dad for one year because he had to find work. And then developing my career and working hard, trying to achieve this.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Has it been worth it? Yeah. Oh, yeah.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, I think my opponents have always considered my forehand to be my weakness, because that's what I found out during the matches that I played, you know, through my whole career. But thanks to those opponents, my forehand's getting a lot better. So I don't think there's really -- I mean, I still have to get stronger. I still have to develop a lot physically. I have to -- I mean, these two weeks, obviously I've made it and I won, but I still got to, you know, have my body prepared and prepare for being for two weeks.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: I'd like to win all of them. I'd like to win all the Grand Slams. I mean, Wimbledon, it's my favorite really, and I'd love to win it many more times, of course. But I'd also like to win all the other Grand Slams.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yes, but I'm not really thinking about that right now. I know that after this and after I'm all settled, I get my emotions down, after I've had a little break, I'm going to start working again and developing the things I think I still need to develop in my game.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: I don't know. I don't take care of that right now. My agent does.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: No, I don't talk about my personal life. I'm not going to say if I have a boyfriend or if I don't have a boyfriend.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Of the game? Well, it's not really a side of the game. It's a totally different side. But it's something -- I just enjoy fashion, and I think that getting involved with me signing the contract with IMG models can bring me a little bit closer to the fashion business. Because when I finish my career, I don't want to just stand there and be empty handed and not have many opportunities behind my back.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, I mean, you always work on things that you need to work on. You always figure out a way to make them better. And I think I've had a great team around me that helped me, you know, understand what I needed to work on more than other things. I've just always been trying to work hard.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: I don't know. First I just want to get better. I want to get this sickness out of my system. I can't wait to see my mom, first of all. I'll be flying to New York after the ball tomorrow. I can't imagine I'm saying this, I'm going to the ball (laughter).

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Just all that has happened in my life, all the tough moments we've been through, all the good moments. This is what I wanted to achieve all my life, and it happened. That's the person, you know, that I wanted to share it with.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, definitely, because the Bollettieri Academy was the first place we wanted to go to from Russia. It was kind of our destination in our minds. So that is where we went. And definitely Nick and the academy helped me a lot because that's where I got the scholarship, and that's where I was able to start training.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Robert has been -- has made a big impact on my game definitely, because when I was 11 years old, you know, I wasn't the kind of person that wanted to practice and hit ball after ball after ball. I wasn't consistent enough. When I came to Robert, he was like, "Okay, this girl has to hit ball after ball after ball until this basket it finished." When I looked in the basket, there were about 1,000 balls in there. My eyes were pretty big when I saw that basket.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, first of all, I'd tell them I'd try, and that it's also my dream so I'll work very hard in order to do so. But, you know, I don't want to predict things when things aren't predictable.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, the reason for that was because I was young and I was staying with girls that were much older than my age. It was difficult because the academy didn't have that many girls that age so young staying in a dormitory. If there were any, they would be staying with their parents, of course. But I didn't have a choice, so I had to stay in a dormitory. I was just put in with girls that were a lot older, more mature, of course, had many more interests. I mean, I'm 10 years old, and these girls are 16, 17, so that's a big difference. It's like me staying in a dormitory with a 10-year-old. But, of course, I wouldn't be mean to them like they were to me (laughter).

MARIA SHARAPOVA: No, it wasn't really about that. It was just that I was just seven years younger than them. That's basically it. I mean, they have totally different interests. They do totally different things. I mean, my bedtime was four hours earlier than theirs was, that's one thing. That's already a big difference.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: No. She's still flying, yes, on Jet Blue, the TV. I hope she knows that I won.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: It's very important. I mean, I thought Wimbledon was just my dream to win, and now, of course, my goal is to be No. 1 in the world.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: To tell you the truth, I know that things will start coming up, many more people will want to start getting involved. But I just want to keep my head cool and I want to leave the people that take care of this to them because I'm not into it really, that business. I just go out and I just play tennis. But I'd love going to Montreal, but right now I don't think that's on my schedule from now on because I thought I'm going to play LA, then San Diego, then I was going to take a few weeks off just to work hard before the US Open. But we'll see. I mean, you never know what could happen.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: It could. You never know.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: It's always been there. I've just always been a competitor. I've always wanted to compete and I've always wanted to win. No, I never really practiced that.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Never.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: I sure hope so, but I'm not going to think what's going to happen a year from now. I just won this title. I'm very happy. I don't want to think what's going to happen a year from now.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: I think every one has been very hard. I don't think there's a pick between those matches. I was down. I lost the first set with both Sugiyama and then Lindsay. That was, of course, difficult. But against Lindsay, I think that being down a set, this is the semifinals, winning it, being in the Wimbledon final, this was pretty amazing. But I don't think there's one to pick.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: I don't want to think about what the tour will think really. I just go out. Doesn't really matter who it is. Somebody from the tour, somebody not, I just want to go out and I just want to win.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, usually I get sick starting with a sore throat. So when I got a bad sore throat, I was like, you know... I never thought about me not playing, but I knew that it's not a good sign when you have a sore throat and you think you're going to get sick.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: I think both of them have a girlfriend, no?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: No.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, we arrived there, but nobody knew that we were going there, so we just arrived. Of course, we asked if I could play there. The coaches saw me, then Nick saw me, then IMG got involved.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, yeah, if that's what you want to call it, sure.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Mental. I'm just a very tough person when I go on the court, and I really don't want to lose. I mean, of course, there's not every day where you're going to win. But I'm that kind of person that I just love to win and I want to fight. You know, if you lose, I love to learn from my mistakes and I'll learn next time.