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AUSTRALIAN OPENJanuary 16, 2013Maria SharapovaMELBOURNE, VICTORIA M. SHARAPOVA/M. Doi THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. You obviously have a pretty big candy business now, but you're also making a lot of bagels. MARIA SHARAPOVA: I didn't offer candy today (laughter). Trying to make a good question? I was just really trying to be focused. You know, I didn't know too much about my opponent; just knew she was a few inches shorter than I was. But it's always tough, especially when you're up a set and a couple of breaks to keep that momentum. You know, I really forced myself to concentrate and just get the job done today. Q. Seemed like you wanted this one. In the last game you were getting upset at an incorrect challenge. MARIA SHARAPOVA: No, not really. I don't think I was. Q. There's no temptation to ease your foot off the gas at any stage in today's match? MARIA SHARAPOVA: No. I mean, my focus is always on the next point and to try to win as many of them as possible. When you have your chances and opportunities, little doors that open up, you try to take them. Without looking at the scoreboard, I don't want anyone to know what score it is on the scoreboard just by looking at my face or my attitude. I try to play every single point like I really need to win it. Q. Scoreline aside, how do you feel your own level has been in these first two matches, especially having no matches coming in? MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, I feel like I've been solid. I've been getting the job done. You know, knowing what's ahead of me, I know that I'll need to improve and step it up. I'm looking forward to the next challenges that come my way. Q. And if that's Venus, can you talk about that a little bit? MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, absolutely. There are certainly no secrets coming into that matchup. We've played against each other many times. You know, despite the fact that she might not be seeded high or didn't play for a little bit, she's still a very experienced player and a tremendous athlete. Going out there, there won't be too many secrets. I hope for it to be a great match. Q. When you played her in Rome, did you find any difference in her level than two or three years ago? MARIA SHARAPOVA: No. In Rome I thought she actually played a good match. I thought it was a good quality of tennis out there. Q. So you expect what exactly? MARIA SHARAPOVA: A good match (laughter). What do I expect? I expect to go out there, two athletes competing in front of, you know, thousands of people like we do all the time and trying to win the match. Q. But when you're playing another great player, is there more intensity to the match than if somebody that doesn't have the experience? MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, you certainly know what she's capable of. But when you're out on the court, you're not thinking how many titles she's won or how experienced she is. You're thinking about what you need to do to step it up in a certain situation and win as many points as you can. Q. Is there any disadvantage to not having faced a little bit of adversity in the first two rounds, losing a few games here or there? MARIA SHARAPOVA: I don't want to look at it that way. In any single match, you give a person a little opportunity and they can run with it, so... Q. Have you enjoyed your first 48 hours on Twitter? MARIA SHARAPOVA: I'm a rookie. There are a lot of things I'm still learning about. I'm just starting to follow things and people. Now I'm learning how to, is it hashtag things, right? That was a new one for me. But it's interesting. I mean, I won't be doing it like every single minute. I won't be telling people what I'm eating. I think that's very non‑interesting. But when I do have things to say, I'm sure I will. Last night I was watching this match I really wanted to say something about the commentating going on, but I really bit my tongue on that one. I was like, Isn't that what Twitter is for, to open up? Itself like, No, no. Q. Andy Roddick has been doing that. He's been criticizing commentating since he retired also on Twitter. MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, it's not like he didn't when he was playing, so... Q. Does it surprise you that you can just say hello on social media and get 200,000 followers just like that (snapping fingers)? MARIA SHARAPOVA: It does. It's very flattering. But it just shows you the power of social media, how everyone is just online these days with devices. I mean, sometimes you see me and I have my notebook here and my phone here. It's like I'm looking back and forth. Sometimes my mom speaks to me and she says, I think I need to send you a text message to get your attention. It's pretty crazy. But it shows you how powerful these things are. I'm happy that I'm able to share some things with my fans that maybe they don't get to see or hear me say. Just a fun way to communicate with them. Q. We can see Venus on this TV screen here. She has a bright‑colored dress on. Tricky to make comments. She wore the same dress in her last match. Any comment on her fashion statement? MARIA SHARAPOVA: I haven't seen the dress. Maybe I'll see it in the next round and can comment. Q. Are you happy with these two bagel matches? This happened 28 years ago. Are you happy with it? MARIA SHARAPOVA: It's not really the statistic I want to be known for. I want to be known for winning Grand Slam titles, not that I won two matches 6‑0, 6‑0. You know, I'm just happy that I won the match and I get to go through and I'm in the next round. Q. When you're at a tournament and some big players or personalities are missing, like a Kim or a Roddick, do you feel that? Are you still too much in your own thing to sense their absence? MARIA SHARAPOVA: That's a good question, because you don't think about it on a daily basis. But sometimes you're watching the TV, you see the draw, you see a few openings, and you think, Why is that? Then you think back on some of the retirements. Yeah, I remember playing when Kim, Justine, Serena, and Venus were in the draw. Yeah, it's different. But you don't really, really think about it. I don't think anyone misses these players so much because we're constantly just doing our thing to go out and compete and play the next match. It's just like a revolving door. But meanwhile, there they are on vacation trying mojitos watching us on television living the life while we're out there sweating in 35‑degree weather. So I don't know who has it good. Q. Date was talking about relating to the other generation. Clearly she is a lot older than you, but do you find yourself feeling like an older player, and can you relate to the 18‑year‑olds? MARIA SHARAPOVA: Maybe not as old as that, but I feel like I'm somewhere in the middle definitely. I feel like I've seen an older generation when I was quite young and just getting on the tour be at the peak of their career and competing really well and learning so much from that. Now I find myself in a moment where you see so many, you know, youngsters ‑ not young, but 17, 18, 19, 20 years old ‑ that are doing really well. And I guess that is the newer generation. Sometimes you think it's quite crazy because it seems like last minute you were there, you were one of them. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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