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US OPEN

August 26, 2019

Maria Sharapova

New York, NY, USA

S. WILLIAMS/M. Sharapova

6-1, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Seems like even though 6-1, 6-1, the match was closer than it was. Did it feel like missed opportunities for you, especially in the second set, to go up 40-15, have another breakpoint?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: No, I think she served quite well on those. She made a great passing shot. I don't think it felt that much closer, no.

Q. How good was Serena tonight? Was that as good as you've seen her play ever?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, I thought she played -- well, I thought she served really well. Found her spots really well. Didn't feel like we got into too many long rallies. I think the 1-2 punch. She won a majority of those points. If I saw the percentage of that, I think that's where she hurt me a lot.

Q. We haven't had the chance to see you play all that much this year. What would you say before this was the state of your game? What are you looking forward to now in your next steps?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, you're right, I haven't played much. I haven't played many tournaments. It's taking me a long journey to get to this hard court season. I missed a lot of this year with my shoulder. Just getting the routines back and being back in the draws is, you know, it's tough to talk about after a defeat, but it's a long road. It's facing an opponent that's at her stature is extremely difficult in the first round of a slam, coming in with the fact that I haven't played that much.

But, you know, those are the situations that I have to keep putting myself in and coming out of them.

Q. In the last few years there's been so much about matchups. How frustrating was it to get someone who just hasn't been a great matchup for you first round?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I mean, I feel like I've had pretty tough draws at this tournament throughout my career. I mean, just two years ago I played the No. 2 player in the world first round. I won that match in a long battle. Then I played another few physical matches. Ended up costing me later in the tournament.

It's tough when you don't play much, then you face tougher opponents. You don't get through those. It's an uphill battle, yeah.

Q. I was hoping an Italian coach would have helped you more.
MARIA SHARAPOVA: It's not his fault (smiling).

Q. Maybe you were on the island of Elba practicing. You spent 12 hours in Florence without calling me. That's the reason why you didn't win.
MARIA SHARAPOVA: There you go. I know what I have to do next time (laughter).

Q. Did you have more expectation after this practice, after all this summer that you tried to come back?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Of course. I mean, that's a first step. Sport is very much result-oriented. There's stories behind the results. There's phases you have to get through in order to get to where you want to go. This is a very different chapter in my career.

It's not an easy road. It's never been. But I went through a shoulder procedure about four months ago. To find myself playing at a night match at the US Open with people excited about the matchup, it's a pretty big deal. I'm fortunate to be a part of that.

It's easy to be discouraged after a match like this. But if I'm personally discouraged, I wake up tomorrow, I don't feel like I want to go out, train, be better, that's more discouraging than the result.

Q. Do you feel just with the summer and the matches and the performances, then this result, like you're gaining traction? Does this feel like a setback at all?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I don't think of it as setback or traction. I have to keep going. There's no other way. There's no easy road about it. I can phrase it in so many different ways and terms, but I still have to go out and I have to do it.

Q. The motivation is still there? You still want to go out and win tennis matches?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: What do you think (smiling)?

Q. Where does that come from? You don't need it, so where is the motivation coming from?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I think somewhere deep down inside. Bottom line is I believe in my ability. You can write me off. There are many people that can write me off, especially after going down 6-1, 6-1 in the first round of the US Open.

As long as it's not the person that's inside of you, you'll be okay.

Q. Are you going to confirm Piatti after this experience? Are you happy the way things have developed, apart from tonight?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I mean, Riccardo has a few responsibilities. I think I kind of crashed his course for the year. He had to adjust his schedule a little bit, which I think came unexpectedly.

But I really enjoyed the work. I've said it already. I like his perspective. I like the simplicity. I think that's something that maybe I needed or was lacking.

So, yeah, I mean, we haven't made any future plans, but I have liked the work so far.

Q. Have you thought about what the rest of the season entails? Will you be heading overseas?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, I mean, I want to try and play as much as possible. After the long match against Kontaveit, I struggled with my shoulder for a week or so. I was trying to get that back on track. I think I hit like over 200 serves in that match. That was a lot compared to what I did in practice beforehand.

I have to be mindful of the schedule. I have to be smart. Yeah, but I really want to play as much as I can till the end of the year.

Q. To what degree do opportunities like tonight, before the big crowd, under the lights, motivate you to keep pushing yourself through all these injuries?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, that's the stage that you play for. I mean, that's where I played as a teenager. That's where I fortunately get to play like tonight. I mean, you work hard, we all do, in order to get to that stage, because that's where the finals are. That's where you want to be.

Q. You've had a lot of challenges, setbacks. Talk about the process of facing the challenge, trying to overcome the obstacles. Is it something you relish, frustrating?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I think the most frustrating part has been the shoulder. I mean, to be really honest with you. You can do all the work in the world, but if you can't go out and hit serves, it's pretty tough. That's been my biggest challenge.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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