AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 14, 2014

Maria Sharapova

M. SHARAPOVA/B. Mattek‑Sands
6‑3, 6‑4

THE MODERATOR:  Questions, please.

Q.  Not a bad first start.  What was it like playing in that sort of heat in the middle of the night?
MARIA SHARAPOVA:  Yeah, I knew I had a tough opponent ahead of me.  You know, the conditions were tough for everyone.  I think we got the least today, considering how late we played.  But it was still pretty warm out there.  Warm enough to have to use some ice vests.
But, you know, looking at her results in the last, you know, couple of weeks and last year and the matches that I've played against her, I knew that it was going to be a tough match.
No matter what I had to do, I wanted to get through it, and I think that's what it was about today.

Q.  How did you like the vest?
MARIA SHARAPOVA:  It's cool.  Feels good.  Makes you a little wet, but that's okay.

Q.  I think you were up 4‑Love and you had a couple of ball toss issues.  Was it the sea gulls above?  Were you worrying what they were going to drop?
MARIA SHARAPOVA:  If I could use that as an excuse, then sure, go for it.

Q.  Were you happy to have the late match today?
MARIA SHARAPOVA:  I was happy just to play, despite the heat or anything.  I've been out of the game for a while, so I was happy to be back in a Grand Slam atmosphere.

Q.  Were you watching the matches during the day on TV?
MARIA SHARAPOVA:  Yeah.

Q.  Did you feel sorry in any way for some of the players in the heat?
MARIA SHARAPOVA:  Yeah, I noticed their facial expressions.  I'm sure it was very difficult for everyone.  I think everyone, except the meteorologists and the doctors, seemed to have the same opinion about the whether, so...

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports