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WIMBLEDON

July 4, 2006

Maria Sharapova

WIMBLEDON, ENGLAND

THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Maria Sharapova for you.

Q. Easier today than yesterday?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, I definitely played a lot better than I did yesterday, and I knew I had to if I wanted to win. So, you know, I think that was the reason. I mean, she's definitely not a worse player than Pennetta. Just a matter of going out there and improving on my previous round.

Q. You were broken once today. On balance, your serve was very strong most of this match. Have you decided, I need to amp it up a little bit down the stretch of this tournament?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: A player like her, where she has a very good return, that first serve percentage is very important. Doesn't have to be -- I don't feel like it has to be a big serve, but more placement than power I thought against her. That's what I did well at Indian Wells.
But, yeah, other than that, I mean, I didn't serve well against Pennetta. Didn't feel like I did. I felt that was one thing that was gonna be really important today.

Q. 20 unreturned serves today.
MARIA SHARAPOVA: For me? Oh, good.

Q. Good number?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Huh? Yeah, that's a good improvement.

Q. You think you're improving exactly how you'd like to be as each day goes by?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, well, I had a real test against Flavia. I felt like after that match, felt like wasn't my best day at the office. I was just looking forward to the next match to see how I could recoup, recover two days in a row. I knew that it was gonna be an even tougher match and I was just ready for it.

Q. Not put off by the streaker?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Not really, no. It was real bizarre. Even more bizarre that it took 10 seconds for security to come out.

Q. Were you frightened for a second when you saw somebody coming on court?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: No, not when you look at the security guards and they're laughing. I mean... (laughing). It's hard to be frightened then. I looked at them and they were kind of laughing, then they took out these red blankets. They must have been prepared. But I don't know why they were laughing. Was just kind of funny.

Q. Is that the strangest thing that ever happened to you on a tennis court?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, I didn't really look at the guy, thank God. I didn't want to look at all the details (laughing).
But, uhm, but Michael, Michael Joyce, he said, you know, with his whole career when he was, you know, playing and been in the stands and watching women's and men's tennis, that's one of the funniest things he'd ever seen. So it must have been pretty funny.

Q. You lost three of your next four games, though. Was that just coincidence?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: No, I didn't. I won the next game. I won the game at 3-0. I know my stats.

Q. You weren't put off then?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: No. I knew that question was gonna come, something weird happens or...
No, no, I'm pretty good at keeping my focus on.

Q. You won the match of your life on that court. Does it do anything for you whenever you go out there?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: It's always special. It's always special to go on that court. You know, it's even more special to come out with the win.
But, you know, when you come on the court, you forget all the things that happened and you just try to focus on this particular match. But when you win and, you know, you realize it all comes back to you, all the great things that happened to me there.

Q. You said before you had a bad day at the office yesterday. To use "office" is a stereotype. But you really think tennis is a job, to go on court is office, or it's still fun?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Your questions are always so philosophical, like I feel like I'm in philosophy class.

Q. I'm just asking.
MARIA SHARAPOVA: You're so serious. You should be a professor (laughing).

Q. Try to answer me.
MARIA SHARAPOVA: You really want an answer now?

Q. Yes, you can.
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, it is. I mean, in a way, yeah, of course, every day you wake up, I don't put on a suit, I put on my tennis shorts, and I get my racquets, I don't get my computer out. You know, I don't take that to the courts. Of course it's my job. I wake up and that's what I do every single will day. But it's an incredible job.

Q. It's still fun?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Of course it is, yeah. Listen, if things weren't fun, I would not be doing them.

Q. What was your plan on your serve today going in?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Consistency. Like I said from Indian Wells, I thought it was very important that I had a high percentage of first serves.

Q. I meant your attitude towards returning her serve.
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Oh, returning, I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
I mean, I wanted to make sure I put some pressure. I know her patterns really well. You know, that was one of the things I did really well, is I read the patterns good, I put some pressure on her second serve. And, you know, whether she started thinking or she started going for a little bit more, you know, who knows? But I did feel like I made her go for that shot and make it.

Q. You said you were reassured by the fact that the security guards were laughing. Are you concerned that a man was allowed to get on the court and it took so long to get him off?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I mean, it happened. Whatever happened, you can't change anything. But would I have liked that he was -- he didn't do a cartwheel and run around the court for about 10 seconds, yeah. I mean, but, hey, you guys wanted some entertainment during a women's match, you got some.

Q. Will you mentioned it to officials, though, will you voice your concern to them?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I mean, they have eyes. They saw it. I'm sure they know it's a little bit too long.

Q. You did well to keep focus. A lot of women thought he was quite fit.
MARIA SHARAPOVA: He was? Maybe next time I'll take a look.

Q. You did very well to keep your focus. A lot of people have said that the noises you make when you're on court is also part of keeping your focus. Would you say that?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, you know, I try not to let things bother me or distract me, you know. There could be so many things going around the world, but, you know, when I'm on the court, it's my job to get it done and, you know, to do it well and try to do the best I can. You know, sometimes you can't do it great, you know, feel great.
But, you know, I just try to focus and try to concentrate on the things that I have and are able to do and work with that, you know, rather than thinking --

Q. When I spoke to Dementieva just now. She said she thought maybe the umpire should have stepped in because of the level of the noises you were making. What would you say to that?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Uhm, I don't worry about that. That's her opinion, her say in that.

Q. And if someone did come up to you and say, Look, we think you ought to tone it down, how would you respond?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I wouldn't change a thing.

Q. Have you often wondered about Elena - as some of us have - if she had a serve, how good would she be with the ground strokes she's got?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I don't think it's a matter of has she or hasn't she got a serve. I mean, it's -- I've seen her hit some great serves in practice. You know, it's a whole different thing going to a match and hitting a serve when it's 40-All and it's breakpoint.
But, I mean, she's -- I've always had really tough matches against her and I always felt like at any point, you know, it's like she doesn't rely on her serve. She knows that sometimes she can be broken. But, you know, I think she relies on other good things about her game to get her through the matches.

Q. Since we don't know who your next opponent will be, would you take each one perhaps and discuss what that particular matchup would present for you?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, Anastasia has been playing really solid tennis this year. I've played her at NASDAQ and I played a really solid match. But she's not winning right now, is she?

Q. She's up in the second set. She lost the first.
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Oh, she is?
Amélie, you know -- it doesn't really matter at this point. I mean, I'd love to -- I mean, Amélie is No. 1 in the world. She's playing great tennis. You know, I love that challenge of going out there and competing against the best in the world.

Q. On the other side of the draw, looks like we might have Kim and Justine, who have played, you know, 21 times but never here at Wimbledon. Can you talk about their rivalry in women's tennis.
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I don't know too much about their rivalry. I'm sorry. I mean...

Q. Going back to the grunting, do you think you're louder now than you ever were before or not?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: What newspaper are you from?

Q. From the Daily Mail.
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Oh, thought it was The Sun.

Q. It was mentioned by your opponent. Do you think you're louder or not?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Are your partners in crime like on your radio right now asking you to ask this question (laughter)?
You know what, it's such a pointless question. You know, I always have the same answer to this question. I've done this ever since I started playing tennis, and I'm not gonna change. This question only comes up at Wimbledon where you guys have all your -- The Suns and the Daily Mails and all that.

End of FastScripts...

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