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ROLAND GARROSJune 7, 2014Maria SharapovaPARIS, FRANCE M. SHARAPOVA/S. Halep THE MODERATOR: Questions in English, please. MARIA SHARAPOVA: Ahhhhhh. (Hugging trophy.) (Applause.) Q. Congratulations, Maria. MARIA SHARAPOVA: Thank you. Q. How do you find the keys to change the match in the hard moments for you? You always do that. MARIA SHARAPOVA: There were a lot of different keys and there were a lot of ups and downs in the match. Just when I thought I was very close to winning it, I had lost four points in a row. Then the match becomes equal. Then you find yourself in a position where you feel like you're starting over, which is quite difficult. I just took a moment to reflect and try to think of the things that I was doing to hurt her and the things that were giving me an advantage in the game. I knew that she was playing well, and despite all that ‑‑ despite that it was a very physical match, I still wanted to continue to try to do those things well no matter how frustrating it was to lose that second set. I came out well. We broke each other a few times. That's the story. Q. What a relief at the end of the match. How do you describe what you felt in your head, in your body, in your heart at this moment? MARIA SHARAPOVA: It's such an emotional victory for me in my career. You know, I have been in many Grand Slam finals, and every one feels very different. I feel like as I get older I appreciate those situations so much more. When it's over, after it being such an emotional match, everything just kind of lets go. You just realize you won another Grand Slam, and Roland Garros at that. Q. This was the tournament that took you, of the four Grand Slams, the longest to win, and now you have won it twice. Do you have any thoughts of why it's happened that way? MARIA SHARAPOVA: I'm with you on that one. I didn't actually ‑‑I didn't think ‑‑ if somebody had told me that I'd win ‑‑ at some stage in my career that I'd have more Roland Garros titles than any other Grand Slam, I'd probably go get drunk (Laughter.) Or tell them to get drunk, one or the other. Yeah, it's really amazing. I feel that I worked to get to this position. There's nothing else. There is no substitute in these titles. You can't just go out there and just do it without putting in the effort, putting in the work. You're not just born being a natural clay‑court player. Okay, maybe if you're Nadal. But certainly not me. I didn't grow up on it; didn't play on it. I just took it upon myself to make myself better on it. There is no one else that was going to do that for me. I had to do the work. Q. You have talked a lot about your team the last couple weeks. You had those great moments on the court today. You took a lot of care to build that team. Can you talk a little bit about how they brought you to this moment? MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, every single one of my team members have done an incredible job. Some are new; some have been there for a while. They have just been so encouraging. I have been through a few different teams in my career, many different people, some coaches, physios, trainers. I have said this from I think the offseason I had never been more happy with the way that everyone has worked together. No matter the situation, no matter how tough it was‑‑ (mobile phone interruption). Nice song. (Laughter.) We had really tough moments and so many questions. Last year at the end of the year I was traveling around Europe, trying to find a solution to getting my shoulder better. I didn't have a coach at the time. When we all got together and little by little started working together I‑‑ no, I realized that there was really good energy, and it just felt so different to‑‑ not that anyone ‑‑it's like everyone worked together, and this is such a huge piece of the puzzle as a professional athlete. You are the one competing, but the team atmosphere is so important. You know, the voices that are constantly there for you from is a Sven to even role as a hitting partner, someone who has been with me a couple of years already. My fitness coach has been there for years and has helped me tremendously on the surface. A new physio that just spends hours and hours trying to work through new ways to get my shoulder stronger and better on the massage table. They work so hard, and I really respect that. Q. You said that after the Indian Wells loss that it was a bit of a regrouping time with you and your team, getting the training block and all that. When you sat down after that tournament, was it an explicit goal to win the French? MARIA SHARAPOVA: No. I had never thought about the French. But it was a really tough moment, because it wasn't that I had lost the matches ‑ because you're human, you're bound to lose matches ‑ but I just felt like I was losing them the wrong way. I was not playing the way that I should have been playing. I had a terrible attitude on the court. You have so many people around you working for you, and then you just go out and do that. I was quite disappointed. I knew that that attitude and that dedication had to change for me, because I'm the one that's out on the court. I didn't set myself a French Open goal. I just wanted to perform better. I really did. Because that was really lacking. Q. You're the first Russian who wins twice the same slam, men and woman. I'd like to know, what are you more proud of and what do you remember of the other slams? Because of course Wimbledon was the first, but this has been the biggest fight. All the other finals you won in two sets. The is only one you won in three. It's also 20 wins in a row on clay when you get to the third set. MARIA SHARAPOVA: It's the most emotional victory for me.  The toughest one physically that I've come across in a final, especially a Grand Slam. There is not too many finals that you get past three hours. With all that said, you know, to look back seven or eight years and to think that I would be in that position, I would come through against an opponent that makes you play and hit and run and hits so many shots and recover in conditions that start from cold to being warm today. So much adversity is thrown at you, and I'm just proud I came through and I adjusted in all different situations and I end up with this (Pointing to trophy.) (Smiling). Q. You had your arm around the trophy. It played hard to get for you. What's your relationship with the trophy? How would you describe that? MARIA SHARAPOVA: My relationship? It's cute, but I don't get to keep it actually. The one I get to keep is really like mini me cutie patootie. Yeah, I wish I could keep the big version, but it's probably too expensive (Laughter). I might have to steal it (smiling). Q. Obviously today was such a triumph, so emotional, but 10 years ago you had your breakout over Serena, Centre Court. Just talk about how you can compare ‑‑it's difficult, I know‑‑ but how can you possibly compare the two, the teen and the mature woman? MARIA SHARAPOVA: It's incredible to be sitting here 10 years after my first Grand Slam win, and to think that I now have five. I don't know what else to say. You know, at that stage you're 17 years old, and of course you think it was a great tournament, obviously. Can I do that again? Can I win more majors? You always have those question marks. So to sit here 10 years later and have five under my belt and to keep going, it's quite emotional. I mean, I'm still a bit speechless about the victory today. Q. Match point when you hit the forehand and the ball went high, at that time were you sure the ball is going out, and what kind of thoughts went through your mind when you are waiting for the ball? MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, otherwise I'd have to get up from my knees very fast and pretend like I did a fake fall (smiling.) Yeah, I think it was wide by quite a bit, so I was correct on that one. But I think just everything kind of comes together. There is not much time to think. I think just let go of everything, because so much happened in the match and in those three hours. When it's all over, it's just, like, Finally, it's over. And in a good way. Q. You declared after the match it was the toughest final of Grand Slam. MARIA SHARAPOVA: Uh‑huh. Q. What did you think about your opponent today? MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, I think you saw the level and the quality of tennis that she's able to produce and has been playing with throughout this whole tournament and this whole year. She certainly deserved to be at this stage. She pushed me to the limit today. Yeah, I mean, she's been extremely consistent. She's going to be 3 in the world now. I think her results speak for themselves. There is a reason why she was out there today and had a huge chance to win. Q. There was a warning in the second set. How conscious were you of how long you were taking to serve? How much is that a reflection how much pressure Simona was putting on you during the game? MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, I think the rules are a bit different at the Grand Slams, and I just feel like I might have to speed it up a bit at these tournaments than other tournaments because the rule is a bit different. Q. You held that trophy like it's your baby, and it's a precious thing. With everything we have seen in Paris, is this the thing you want most? MARIA SHARAPOVA: Is this the thing that? Q. You want most. MARIA SHARAPOVA: I want most? Q. You want most. MARIA SHARAPOVA: When I'm in Paris, of course (Laughter.) When I'm in London, no. When I'm in Paris, absolutely. There is a reason why I haven't been to one shop while I have been in Paris. It's because I want this. I haven't eaten many macaroons, either. It's because I want this. So all those things contribute. Q. I think this tournament was probably one of the toughest women's tournaments in recent times. Some very, very close‑fought matches. A few youngsters have come through. Can you talk to us about the state of the women's game and how good you think it is now? MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, I mean, it's interesting when the draw comes out. Everyone is in there. It's a mixture of, you know, older generation, newer generation, and some people that are somewhere in the middle probably, like me. You know, there is always the favorites. There is always the underdogs. There's always the young ones that people are looking towards and believe will be the rising stars. I think this tournament has proven to be that. There were some upsets in the beginning. I know from the beginning of the tournament everyone came in my press conference, and the first thing they said, Well, you're going to be facing Serena in the quarterfinals. What a tough draw. What bad luck you have. We haven't even played the first round yet. So from that tough luck in the draw to being the French Open champion is a very nice feeling. That's why I say when the draw comes out, nothing is set in stone. We still have to go out there and play our matches. But I think you've seen a lot of different matches. For me, it's been a very physical tournament, one of the most physical Grand Slams I have ever played. Q. Even in the third set you pushed so hard, as if like this will to win and your forehand was still so aggressive. Do you still think there can be more net our volley game in Paris, women's tennis? Today there were almost no volleys in the match at all. Like do you feel like you can maybe also elevate your game in this sense? MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, I'm not somebody who looks to come to the net and hit three, four, five volleys. I find myself playing well when I end the points towards the net or hitting a swing volley or finish the point off at the net. That didn't happen today, because credit to my opponent, somebody who gets so many balls back and deep and uses your pace extremely well and doesn't really give you many short balls, to be honest. You have to create that for yourself. On a surface like this, that's quite difficult. Maybe on a bit of a faster surface that would be easier. Q. So many players have decided to skip their worst surface when it comes around the calendar throughout history. What does it say about you? You did the opposite and worked so hard to make this one your best when you could have just thrown in the towel a little bit on it. MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, I don't think my dad would be very happy if I ever told him I didn't consider the French Open very seriously. I think he'd be very upset about that. It wasn't that ‑‑okay, I didn't grow up on the surface. It's not like I didn't like it. I learned so much on the court with the point construction, in and out of the court, and you really do learn. Sometimes not too good. But I just never quite felt comfortable with it. To turn that mentality around, I think my biggest problem at a younger age was that I always felt like I had to finish the first few rounds quickly and not go out on the court and be free and just have that attitude of being out there for however long it takes. Because I knew that if the first few rounds were tough, I just didn't physically have a chance as the tournament went on. That helped so much mentally confidence‑wise, and that's what I think has changed. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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