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BRISBANE INTERNATIONAL PRESENTED BY SUNCORPJanuary 3, 2014Maria SharapovaBRISBANE, QUEENSLAND S. WILLIAMS/M. Sharapova THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Take any positives, or really just missed some chances there in the second set? MARIA SHARAPOVA: A few missed chances. You know, tough being a little, a small break up in that tiebreaker and also missing that forehand just a little bit wide at 6‑, 7‑All. I forget what it was. Overall, you know, happy that I can compete at this level in my third match back. I really have to take the positives out of this, because I have been struggling for a few months. To be able to come out on the court and put myself in good positions out there against someone that's been playing amazing tennis is a good sign for me. It was definitely a good week and a good test. Q. Serena talked about feeling like she got thrown into the deep end having to play a player of your caliber the first week of the season. Do you feel that way? MARIA SHARAPOVA: I think that's why we're all here. I think we want that type of competition in the first week. For me, it was not just that type of competition, but matches, whatever I can get. Didn't matter where it was going, but I figured I've tried coming here for so many years maybe this one would be lucky. It's great to be able to play these players the first week of the year. Q. Just talk about the serving in the second set. It's hard it make her as much as you broke her during that set, but you also get broken a lot. Was that first serve percentage on your part, too? Her's was a little bit low. Was it the great returning? MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, a little bit. I thought she returned well from the beginning. You know, if the ball is few inches to the right or left of where she likes it, she ends up hitting a really sharp, deep return and you can be in trouble. That first ball is extremely important and something I hope to work for in the future. Q. What about is Sven? How is working with him? Is it going well? MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, it is. I've enjoyed working with him the past couple months. It's been a nice transition. He doesn't say much, but she's very thorough. I enjoy it. I enjoy the partnership of everyone together on the team. Q. When you're involved in all those intense points ‑ and you had a lot of them during the second set ‑ are all the thoughts of, Oh, I only played a few matches since Wimbledon out your head and you're out there in a match again it and doesn't matter what was happening beforehand? MARIA SHARAPOVA: What do you mean? Q. When you're out there playing the super intense points against Serena, are the thoughts of what you had to do to get to Brisbane just gone? MARIA SHARAPOVA: Not in the moment. In the moment you're trying to win the next point. Obviously I can look back and say, as I said just now, it's great to be at this level and compete against her and put myself in a good position after not playing for a few months. But in the moment I'm pulling my teeth out because I missed that shot. Q. Did you surprise yourself in anyway about your level in that second set tonight? MARIA SHARAPOVA: I mean, if I want to have a chance to beat Serena I have to get myself in the match and I have to raise my level. These what champions do. I mean, she's raised her level so much in the last couple of years. If you want to be right there, you have to do that as well. Q. After three matches coming back from an injury, it's a pretty rapid rise. MARIA SHARAPOVA: Look, I'm really happy to be here. I said it after my first round. It was a big step for me to be here. I worked hard. I did a lot of things in order to heal my injury and then get back on the court. It's a tough process for athletes, the grind of getting back, because you're used to competing at a high level. It's not as if I was in retirement. It was tough not seeing my name in the draws and tough seeing everybody playing tournaments and you're just kind of going about trying to find a way to heal an injury and bit sure when that will happen. A lot of question marks. So when you're back out here, you're really grateful. I certainly am, yeah. Q. Will you take a lot of confidence out of your performance tonight moving into the Australian Open? MARIA SHARAPOVA: I will. I'm going to take the fact that I played three tough matches here. I wish I could have played another one or maybe two more, because I got a retirement. But overall I am happy. You know, now I'll just rest a day and get to Melbourne and start training. Grand Slam's just around the corner. Q. With Sven, you called him on court after three games in the second set. Wondering about the timing of that. You had just broken her. Always curious about when people decide to talk to coaches or not. Why then? MARIA SHARAPOVA: I'm not really sure either. I don't know what the perfect timing of it is or not. Sometimes it's just to get a bit more balanced and more in your head than anything else. Q. What did he talk about out there? MARIA SHARAPOVA: I don't remember. I don't know. I have to look at the video. Q. Shoulder give you any trouble tonight or this week? MARIA SHARAPOVA: No. It's been really good. Moving forward the recovery is going to be extremely important for me. Overall I'm happy with the shoulder progress. Q. 14 straight losses now to Serena. Does it feel different than a loss to another opponent? So many at this point. Is it numbing to lose to her or still the same as... MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, I just found 14 ways how not to win. That's the only way you can look at it. I could be in a worse position and never face her, which means I would be losing much earlier in tournaments than I want to be. So if I'm giving myself opportunities to go into tournaments and fight through matches to get to a position to play against her, I consider myself very lucky to be able to play against her and give myself another chance to try and beat her. Q. Is it a lesser kind of frustration I guess losing to a top player? MARIA SHARAPOVA: Losing is frustrating for any athlete. We all work extremely hard. Not one of us slacks off. In the moment it's tough to lose. I think if you have a good perspective on things, like many of you us do, it's a lot easier to take it. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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