M. SHARAPOVA/C. Garcia
3 6, 6 4, 6 0
MARIA SHARAPOVA
Q. You told courtside that you made some adjustments to your game during the match. Can you please elaborate.
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, first of all, I think I relaxed and just, you know, let things happen. I think I was way too concerned about the conditions and wasn't moving my feet and just was really slow, and she was playing aggressive and, you know, hitting great shots. I just felt flat footed in the beginning.
I just hit the ball finally.
Q. The American Jim Courier when he was criticized for his lack of weapons said going for the lines at crunch time, hitting all out when everything is on the line is a skill and a talent. Could you talk about that sense of fight? Also, compare your intensity and your will to win with the caliber of others, with Serena and with Justine?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, I just never think that the match is over until it actually is. I think that no matter what situation you're put in, no matter how good or bad you feel, you've got to finish the match.
Like I said, I never really felt comfortable throughout that match. I was just really trying to find my own rhythm. You know, more than anything I was just trying to be more consistent and not, you know, maybe make her hit the errors instead.
She'd hit a great first shot and then I just wouldn't hit the ball. I felt like I was flat footed. More than anything, I felt like I had to make a few changes, which I did. I made the adjustment. That was really important.
As far as the fighting, I think, yeah, it's important to fight. You know, it's not my job to compare myself to other players, but I'm certainly I'll never give up out there, yeah.
Q. You won Wimbledon when you were only a junior. What is your opinion of this new girl, she's 17, Caroline Garcia?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, I don't think I was a junior at 17. I had been on the tour for I think maybe two or three years then. At 16 I got to the fourth round of Wimbledon, so I had been on the tour for a while. It's not like I came into Wimbledon at 17 and didn't have any big match experience behind my back.
But I thought she played really well today, first set and a half. She served well, and as the match went on, I felt like her pace went down, you know, especially on her serve. Yeah, it's a new experience for her.
Q. Did you say something to Caroline Garcia after the game?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: No. I didn't see her after the game.
Q. Why?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I didn't see her after the game.
Q. Andy Murray tweeted that one day she will be world No. 1. What's your take on that?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Who?
Q. Caroline Garcia. Murray said that.
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, I think time will definitely tell. It's a long road and a long journey. There will be many wins and many losses. It's tough for me to tell, but she's on her way up, definitely.
Q. You've had so many great battles, came out on front, on some others not; some tough losses at slams, as well. Can you compare this to any of your other really tough matches and even some of the ones that you did lose?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I mean, look, it could have easily gone the other way today, but I think I knew I had to make an adjustment, and it's tough to compare this to other matches. Every match is a new match. You're playing against different types of opponents, and, you know, more than anything I felt like I really stepped up. And that was needed if I wanted to win this match.
Q. At some point the wind was a problem for you?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I think just in the beginning I was just, you know, instead of going out and playing my game, I was a little bit worried about the wind and the conditions and the way she was playing instead of just focusing on myself.
Yeah, I think in the beginning it affected me, definitely.
Q. The public was okay? Do you know you were playing a French girl, they should go against you, but you felt it was okay? Or how did you feel down there?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: It's understandable. You're playing a French Open and you're playing against an up and coming young player that's in the second round of the French Open at 17.
Of course, they're going to be behind her. That's definitely understandable.
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