M. SHARAPOVA/A. Petkovic
6‑0, 6‑3
MARIA SHARAPOVA
Q. You had a tough first game there, and then you kind of rolled. You know, you have had a problem sort of revving your engines here in matches, sort of getting behind, but clearly that wasn't the case here before.
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, there were a few games in the beginning that went to deuce and ad in and ad out. Even though the first set was 6‑0, we played it for quite a bit of time because of those long games.
You know, I just did really well in those, you know, those important points in the first set. I think that was the difference in the beginning.
And then, yeah, there was a little bit of an up and down in the second, but...
Q. This is your first time at this stage of a major since Australia '08. Can you just talk about that journey and I what it feels like to be back here?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, it's really exciting to be back in the semis here, you know, in general. I put a lot of work in, you know, to be in this stage of the Grand Slams. You know, I'm really happy that it's here. I'm going to have a chance to go further.
Q. When we look especially at the second set, was it like in general a tougher match than what the score of 6‑0, 6‑3 reflects? The second question is when we look at your general performance, tennis, and moral condition, can we say that this is the best Roland Garros, the best Sharapova we've seen at Roland Garros so far?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, to answer the first, yeah, it was definitely tougher than the scoreline says. Because like I said, in the first set there were a lot of games that could have gone either way.
I thought I just, you know, played really smart in the important points and the deuce points and when I had advantage. It was a long first set, even though the scoreline was 6‑0. Yeah, I have been really strong and I've been put into tough situations in some of the matches here being down and sometimes down in the beginning, and, you know, facing tough challenges.
But I've found a way to overcome them and, yeah, here I am.
Q. Were you always confident that you'd get back to this stage in a major? Did you always think, It's just a matter of time; I'm putting in the work I'm going to get there? Or were there tough moments there?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: There's no doubt there's tough moments. I don't think without tough moments the good ones would feel so good. I have certainly put in a lot of work, and I never ‑‑ you know, I was never hesitant. I always tried to push myself as much as I could.
You know, I have a really good team of people around me that, you know, support me and that have helped me in the tough moments and tough decisions that I've had to make in my career.
It's a long process. Like I said, I don't think the great moments or the great feelings feel as good as when everything comes easy to you.
Q. How would you assess your level in this tournament versus maybe some of the last few slams?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, in the last slam I lost to Petkovic; today I beat her in the quarterfinal stage. I would say I improved definitely, yeah.
Q. I guess what I'm saying is considering some of your past comments about the surface and maybe this is not the major where you would have expected sort of things to start to fail into place for you.
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, there's no doubt that I've improved on this surface. There's no doubt that I felt ‑‑ you know, as the years went on that I felt better and better. Towards the end of the clay season for me, I would always feel like, Oh, I'm feeling good. I want to actually play more tournament.
It's a pretty short season. We only play a few events. Yeah, I feel like I've physically overcome many challenges that maybe a few years ago, four years ago, would have been tough for me.
And just the recovery process after matches, and, you know, sliding and recovering after tough shots, I feel like I'm better in that.
Q. Not everybody expected two pair of players, Sharapova, Li Na, Schiavone and Bartoli being in the semifinals at Roland Garros. There is one name out of these that surprises you most, that you didn't expect to the in the semis? You are the only one that won three slams; Schiavone won one, and the other two never won one. Do you think that favors you in a way in terms of experience, or the fact that Schiavone won last year helps her to be more confident?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I don't think those numbers really matter, because this is just a new tournament. You know, obviously experience definitely helps me. I know that I've been ‑‑ I mean, I can only speak for myself. I know that I've been in these types of situations; I've been in this stage of a Grand Slam before.
You know, here, this is my second time at Roland Garros, and my goal just looking at myself is just to take it a step further and try and take it to the finals and see what happens.
But what was the first question?
Q. Out of the first four...
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Sorry. His questions are longer than my answers, so I forget.
Q. I'll try to be []...
MARIA SHARAPOVA: You have to write it down. You can't remember it?
Q. No, I'm afraid to miss, to mistake. I know that you're very precise.
MARIA SHARAPOVA: (Laughing.) Am I surprised?
Q. Are you surprised more about one of these names than the others?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: No. To be honest, I think at Roland Garros, with every year you see some surprises more than other Grand Slams. I'm not surprised at all.
Q. What do you think about the level of Marion Bartoli's game on clay right now?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I haven't seen too much of the matches. I haven't seen too much of her matches here, so I don't think I would evaluate that well.
Q. If you win this tournament, you would complete all four slams. Is that kind of thought already in your mind?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: No. I'm in the semifinal stage of this tournament, and my goal is just to take it a step further right now.
Q. Just on the crowd, they were behind you against Radwanska, and today they were behind you, too. It helps you?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, I think crowd support is really important. I think it's ‑‑ you know, when people go out to see you and they support, you know, tennis and they support good tennis, I think it raises ‑‑ you know, it raises our levels.
You know, I heard a lot of people cheering my name in Russian, which means a lot to me. Yeah, I've ‑‑ you know, support always feels really good. I think when you're in the moment, I really try to zone out and really just concentrate on what I have to do.
But I've been in situations where, you know, I haven't felt my best or my tennis wasn't there, and the crowd has helped me tremendously. Sometimes that's very, very important. Absolutely.
Q. Tough Melbourne; tough early go this year; then you began to step it up. Could you talk about how your game has progressed, how you're sort of getting into the swing of things here?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: What if I say that I already answered that question? What will you do? Will you just read the transcript?
No, I haven't been asked that. Something similar, but not that. Um, yeah, I've definitely stepped it up, and I feel like I'm playing better. You know, most importantly, I feel like I'm making adjustments in the match situations, but I'm also playing a lot by instinct.
I think because I played a lot of matches, I think that's helped me. You know, I've said from the beginning of this year that it will be really important for me to play a lot of matches and stay healthy, because that will really ‑‑ you know, my ‑‑ I think when you go out on the court and when you're playing matches, I was lacking. I was thinking a little bit too much in certain situations because I didn't have ‑‑ I didn't feel like I had those matches behind my back.
Things just come a little bit naturally. You don't think about certain situations when you play a lot. That's helped me tremendously.
Q. Has it felt at times as if your shoulder had a mind of its own? Are the two of you back in sync now?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Oh, god. (Laughter.)
Back in sync? Yeah. I mean, my shoulder ‑‑ I still do a lot of work on it and I still treat it every day. I do a lot more exercises on it than any other part of my body. But it's normal.
Sometimes I have to, you know, adjust if sometimes if the weather changes, things like that. But my shoulder feels really good.
Q. Do you ever say, "Come on" in Russian? You always seem to say is in English during a match.
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I do sometimes. I do say other things in Russian, too, that you don't want to know.
Q. I think the only tennis player ever to win their first four slams on different surfaces was Agassi, and then he wins more. Of course if you win this you're going to have four on different surfaces. I know you know him a little bit. He's a little bit older. He started fast like you did, kind of went down, and had the comeback. Any similarities between you and him? And did you ever take inspiration from what he did?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Um, I think he's achieved way more in his career than I have, so it's pretty tough to sit here and compare myself. I admire him for all his achievements, for the way that he was able to come back and not really care about the outside world and just go for what he believed he had in him.
I think he's also been an incredible example of someone that's done way beyond, you know, what he ever thought that the sport would give him. And even though he's not part of the sport now and he's not playing, I feel like he's helping so many children and people around the world.
That, I think, is more incredible than tennis itself.
Q. Outside of the slams, younger players have been doing extremely well in the slams. Like this time again, all four semifinalists are veterans: a 29 year old, 31 year old, and then you and Marion are close in age. Is that because of experience? Is that because their quality isn't quite there? Can you just talk a little bit about that?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I'm not sure. I don't know. I don't know, really. I'm not really sure how to answer that question.
I think experience helps, but ‑‑ I don't know. Tough question. Sorry.
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