WIMBLEDON

July 1, 2004

Maria Sharapova

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Is that a joke?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Because I left like the whole wide court open for her.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: I did though. I did. But that serve of hers down the middle is a joke. It's so accurate. I mean, you know that she's going to go there, but of course there are two sides of that box. So if you open that up, you know she has a good wide serve, too. But I did. I left a lot of space to hit that wide serve, but she kept going down the T. I think that's how I started picking it up.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: I was reading the OK Magazine to be accurate (laughter).

MARIA SHARAPOVA: No, it was quite boring.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, I just hung in there. I just kept believing in myself. I did everything I could to win, and I was just fighting. Especially in the tiebreak, I wanted it so bad, that I just gave it my all.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: No.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: It's a shock. I don't think I've gotten it in my system yet because I don't know how to react. And I look at my dad and I looked at my coach, and I tell them, "Am I in the final? I mean, I'm playing the finals on Saturday." It's amazing. I don't have any other words. All the hard work in my life, all the sacrifices. First of all, I never expected it to happen so early in my life. I knew that I could achieve many things if I worked hard and if I believed in myself, but I never expected to do so well at such an early age - to get to the final. I mean, good results, but getting to the final of Wimbledon, my favorite tournament, is just amazing.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: In the first set, I actually felt pretty good when we got into the points. I felt like, even though I was losing some of them, in most of them I was in control. But in the first set, her serve was just too good. There was not too much I could do. I didn't make her play -- I didn't return and I didn't make her play any balls after that. So there she thought, "I just have to serve a good serve and the point's over." In the second set, I slowly started to make her hit that second ball. A few points I won, a few points she won. It was that kind of battle on her serve. And on mine, as well.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, yeah, she's serving for the match. With that big of a serve of hers, it's basically over. But I didn't think about that. I was just concentrated on the point by point. I don't know. I got it.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: No, because at this point it doesn't matter. What I've been doing these whole past two weeks is going on and just playing my game. It doesn't matter who I play. I've just been going out and just believing in myself that I can do it, and I've just been winning. It really doesn't matter who I play. I just want to go out and I want to have fun. It's my first Wimbledon final. It's an amazing feeling. And at this point I don't think it really matters.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: It really comes naturally. I would say that I've always been a competitor through my whole career. I've always wanted to play matches, always wanted to play points. I was never that kind of person that I wanted to practice and get myself better. I just wanted to compete and I wanted to play against girls, boys, whatever, older, younger, and I wanted to win. I guess that's where this comes from. But it's always been natural.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, I think that is one of my strengths, that I fight, and I really want to win. I just try to give it my all the time, even though sometimes it's impossible, but I do.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: I usually play a lot with instinct. I think I've always played -- my whole career, I've played by instinct. Of course, you're going to have tactics going into a match because, I mean, you have to know the opponent's weaknesses, strengths, you know, what you can do best against your opponent. Throughout my whole tennis career, I've always just gone out and I've played with instincts. When it's certain situations, I've played with instincts. That's just the way I am.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Of course, different tactics, they're different players. But, I mean, when you're going on court, it doesn't matter about the tactics, it doesn't matter about, I mean, how you've been coached. It's about that moment. It's about what you're going to do. In the back of your mind, of course, you're going to think about the little weakness or something. But, I mean, at that point, you're just going to think about what you do best.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: No, my parents didn't tell me that. No, my parents just told me, "Congratulations."

MARIA SHARAPOVA: I didn't really pay attention to the sport. I didn't really watch it on TV while I was younger. But I knew about her. I knew that she was a great Russian player. But, you know -- I don't know what to say on that question.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: If it bothered me, I would have got it already.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: It is. I definitely hope so. I love playing for my country, and I've always been happy playing for it. I mean, just those emotions at the end of the match that actually, I mean, another Russian in the final, and it's me, my first Wimbledon final. It's amazing.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Have a drink? No (smiling).

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Actually I finished my first one, yes.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Today.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: No, I have a test in front of me. But, of course, I print it out because I can't spend three hours on the computer. But I print out the test and I do it. I did some today. I wrote an essay actually.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Sociology.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Who said that? What?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Gosh, that was so long ago. I mean, both of my parents, my dad and my mom, have been through my whole career with me. They've just been always trying to do the best for me and always giving up things in their lives just to do the best for me. And I don't know why would you say that my dad is too much involved in my tennis? He has done everything for me in my life. He hasn't missed one day in my practice court. I believe in him so much, and I love him - and my mom, too. I wouldn't be here without them, definitely. I mean, they've been with me through the hard times and through the good times. I mean, without my dad, I wouldn't be here, so I don't know. Why would you say that?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, they're two different players, and I've played Serena at Nasdaq. I mean, what can I say? She's a very strong girl. She's not a very easy opponent. I haven't played Amelie, but I just played her in exhibition. I mean, like one of them is going to be in the final, and so am I. So definitely been playing very good tennis. Just going to go out there. It's my first Wimbledon final. I mean, at this point I don't think it really matters who I play.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: I never thought about getting so far at 17 years old. That's one fact, for sure. I always believed in myself, and I knew that I could do it, and I knew that I could get far and achieve many things. But I never expected things to happen so early. I don't know.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, well against Lindsay, I mean, she's won this tournament. She has had so much experience, and she's such a great player. To beat her here in the semifinal, it's amazing. I mean, I don't think I've realized yet at what level I was playing. But, I mean, in order to beat her, you must be playing at a very good level, so I assume I was.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, right now I've been studying about like how people communicate, the social part -- God, this is hard to explain in front of the press. But I've always done school before because I like to do school. I mean, if I have nothing to do, I just grab school. It's like some people, if they have nothing to do, they grab a magazine like I did in between my matches, but I just grabbed school and I did my essay. But I always have different topics. I mean, there are a lot of chapters in there.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: No. I mean, I never -- when I do one thing, I concentrate on that thing. And when I do the other thing, I concentrate on the other thing. So I just -- those are just things that I do.