WIMBLEDON

June 25, 2004

Maria Sharapova

THE MODERATOR: Good evening, everybody. Can I present Maria Sharapova. Who would like to ask the first question?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, I was happy. First time on Centre Court, a great feeling, playing well. So just a lot of emotions out there in the end.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: I'm feeling very confident. I've been playing very well. I got a lot of matches in in Birmingham. Coming in here, I've just been playing very well. Picked up my level from the last two matches and definitely showed that today out there. I'm just looking forward to the next match at this point.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, the sooner I won a tournament on grass, too. I knew we both were going to be playing well. We both were on our way up at this stage, especially on grass, which is probably maybe for both of us a good surface. Definitely when I came out on the court, I was expecting a very tough match. Definitely I think maybe the score didn't really show it, but point after point, you really had to fight for it.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Today my game was just on. I served very well. I think that's the key when you're playing a good player - if you can serve and keep hold of your serve, just trying to get the momentum on the return, which I did. And she served great, too, today. But I just kind of like a snake tried to find my way in there.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, I would smile. I would do anything. But I just try to keep my concentration. I mean, I'm kind of an outgoing person. I mean, I can be focused, but I don't really want to let my focus go. You know, sometimes I do want to smile, but then I think to myself, "Maybe if you do smile, maybe your concentration will go off a little bit." I don't want to let that happen.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, my house is actually in Florida, but in California I spend a lot of my time, as well. I do, I like it a lot. I made a lot of good friends there. And Robert obviously there. It's a beautiful city. I kind of don't like the earthquakes, but...

MARIA SHARAPOVA: No, no, he's not here.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: I did. I was enjoying every moment. These are just the moments in life we have to enjoy because not every teenager -- I mean, not every girl, not every person gets to experience such a moment in their lives. To actually be playing at Wimbledon, I mean, it's amazing. A few hours before the match, I was watching the TV and Henman was playing. I'm like, "Okay, I'm going to be on that court in a few hours. Right now I'm sitting on the couch." It's amazing, it really is.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: I mean, it is. Everybody wants to be on Centre Court. Everybody wants to have that feeling of being surrounded by an amazing crowd that wants to watch your game and loves the tennis and is really intoo it, as the crowd was today. It's a really good feeling.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: To tell you the truth, I'm not really good at those things. I mean, with racquets or with courts, I'm not really good at that. I mean, I had to ask somebody else which one is faster or slower. So, I'm not really good like that.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, the atmosphere -- the stadium itself is just -- it doesn't look big, but it kind of surrounds you and makes you feel like the crowd is really into the match. That's what makes the stadium so great. It doesn't have to be so big and so tall. I think every seat in that stadium has a very good view. But you know that everybody's really enjoying it.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: I don't think it's pressure. When you go through every match, you play a different opponent. Today I played against Daniela. I knew she's been playing well and I was playing well. I mean, I like these challenges. The next round's going to be a different challenge. I'm willing to take those challenges, yes.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, I'm a tough girl (laughter). I don't want to give my opponents any chance. I just fight for every ball because I know that every ball is important, and it shows, you know. What can I say?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: I don't know. My desire to be the best.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, yes, I think these things kind of build you up as a person, definitely. But at this point, I mean, I just -- when you're in the moment, you don't think about what happened to you in the past or whatever. You think about the present, of course. You just want to win. And that's what I want to do.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Thanks for the compliment. I really think it's the hard work. I don't think there's anything else to it. I don't think anything in my game's really missing at this point. It's just the experience, it's just getting stronger. I don't think I have something that's so weak that I need to work on it. But, I mean, just going in day after day in the off-season or before the tournament. Of course, there's nothing you can do during the tournament, but before the tournaments, get your mentality going and just work hard. And that's what I've been doing. I've been really focused this year. I mean, I know what it takes to achieve winning a Grand Slam and being No. 1 in the world. It takes a lot of hard work, and that's what I'm prepared for.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, I mean, life takes you by surprise. I mean, you never know. I think you just have to just live the day. I mean, there's going to be a lot of surprises, good and bad. You just have to go through those moments, enjoy the good moments like I did today and just toughen it up when you have a bad moment. It's just the way life is.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: No. I just want to take it a match at a time right now. I don't want to think about this is my year, this is not my year. I know that I want to win this tournament. It's like I said the last interview, if I don't do it this year, I want to do it next year. I just want to do it.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, definitely the move to the US was an amazing sacrifice. I mean, you either win or you lose. I mean, it's a 50/50 chance that you're going to play on Centre Court at Wimbledon a few years later. So you just never know what can happen. Definitely my parents have been through me through all the good times and the bad times, and I owe a lot to them, because they're the people that care the most about me. They've been through my life, through my career. They're the ones that know me best. You know, they're my best friends, so I owe a lot to them.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: When you have $700 in your pocket and you go to the US... I mean, it's a new country, you don't have the language, you don't know what's going to happen, yeah.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: No, my parents from when I was born, my mom actually, while I was born, she never took me to kindergarten, I was never in school. She was always taking care of me. They always wanted for me to be happy, for me to be going in the right direction in life, and they always cared for me. I mean, it's very important. Like I said, I owe a lot to them. There is no pressure because I know that I love them, and for what they have done, I know I can give back to them by these moments like today. I mean, calling my mom, and she's excited, and she's calling my grandparents, and they're excited in Russia. They can't sleep at night. It's chaos. It's absolute chaos. But these are just the moments. It's great.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, first of all, when I was seven years old, I didn't think I was poor. I mean, we lived a normal life in Russia. I wouldn't say we were poor. We were just like average people. Of course, when you go to the United States, with $700, of course you're considered poor. I was seven years old. I had no idea what was going on. Of course, I knew there were some little richer kids than I was at that age. But in the back of my mind, I was just working hard and trying to achieve what -- you know, I'm here. So it's a very good feeling. And then after this or like after the French Open, definitely, I can go out and spend some money. I mean, these past years, it's been feeling a little bit easier spending my money. I don't feel so guilty anymore.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, I just started -- I started when I was four years old. But the interest, I always loved to compete, anything. If there were kids out, I would tell them, "Okay, let's play, we got to play." I hated hitting doing the drills, I hated hitting ball after ball, I just wanted to play, I just wanted to compete. I don't know when I actually thought this is something that I love to do.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: With tennis? It was just a sport I picked up.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: I was only with my dad when we came because I didn't see my mom for two years because she couldn't get a visa. We landed in Miami airport, and -- I was seven years old, guys, I don't know. But I think we took a bus and we drove to Bollettieri. We came there like at 12 midnight. Somehow, I don't know, stayed in a hotel. The next morning we came to the academy. That's how it all started.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: I don't have them. I don't remember anything.