M. SHARAPOVA/K. Flipkens
6-3, 6-3

Q. You've certainly had a more businesslike time in your first two matches here this year than last year. Can you just talk about how different your sensations are? And also, are you looking forward to playing Justine, even though it's an early round?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, well, every year is a new year, and you face different opponents and different situations. You know, the past few years I've had my fair share of difficult early rounds, and most of them have gone to three sets.
So it's been a nice change of pace to get the job done in two in the last few days. My next one is obviously gonna be tough, and I look forward to it. We've had some great matches in the past, and, you know, we've had some battles. I've had some tough losses and great wins. I look forward to this one.

Q. Did you used to sort of be frustrated on the clay and say, If this was only a hardcourt or grass or something like that? Have you gotten over that now? Are you fairly comfortable and it is what it is and you're happy to play on the clay?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I really do enjoy it. I've learned a lot playing on it the last few years. Now when I play someone that hits a lot of slices or a lot of high balls, it doesn't really bother me. You know, it doesn't affect me as it did, you know, many years ago, because, you know, I knew physically I couldn't be out on the court, you know, I couldn't last quite that long as I feel that I can now.
So just try to go for a little bit more than I should have. You know, I've learned and I've worked on that, and I certainly feel like I'm, you know, more patient out there when I face those opponents on clay.

Q. Justine talked a lot about your great fighting spirit as your positive qualities. Can you just talk about a little bit about your game, your memories, and what makes a special player?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: She has the ability to come out against all different types of players, no matter how big they hit or how strong they are. She's able to, you know, take pace really well, and, you know, play her own game and make you hit lots of balls.
You really gotta be patient against her. You know, I look forward to it. Like I said, I've had really tough losses against her here, but in many of those matches, I learned so much.
You know, and wins against her. We've had some good quality matches and a few not so good. But hopefully this one will be a good quality one.


Q. Your father liked the dress the other night. How has the transition been from him to Michael? Was it difficult, or just a natural thing?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: It was pretty natural, because he's still a part of all my training that I do back home. So I think all of the things that you, you know, work on and you prepare yourself, you do a lot of that on court work when you're at home and you have a few weeks. He's been there most of the time.
But in some of the off seasons he wasn't there, because that's usually the time he goes skiing. God forbid someone takes that time away from him. (laughter.)
But, you know, he's been really great and so supportive, especially when I was injured. You know, he just knew that I would be back and really believed in me. It was every day that I was out there, no matter how tough it was for me, he just always made sure I kept my head up and kept going.
To this day we talk every day, and he still gives me pointers. You know, some great ones; some that I don't want to hear. I love him just the same as when I was traveling with him. I still take his advice on a daily basis. He's still very much part of the team. He just doesn't travel as much, and has a great life away from the traveling.

Q. Justine said that the match you played in Australia seems very distant to her, very far away. Obviously she retired and came back since then. A lot has happened to you, as well. You've had some involuntary time off. Does it also seem distant to you, that whole Australian Open run?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Actually feels like we never left, or it was just yesterday. (laughter.)
That's so funny. It was a couple of years ago, and, you know, here we are. We're back. It's a different Slam, but, you know, it's the same drill. We're waiting before matches. It's as if, you know, things haven't really changed much.
But obviously you think back to the last few years, and both of us have been in different paths and different times in our lives. But here we are going to face each other tomorrow.

Q. Your game has evolved though, and to some degree hers has, too. So on clay here, do you feel like you can bring a few more things to the table than you did in 2005?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I mean, I am not looking to the matches as going in and becoming a clay court player and changing my game in order to suit someone else. You know, I'll certainly incorporate the things that I've worked on, and I feel that maybe will work against her.
But at the end of the day, I'm still gonna play as who I am and not trying to be somebody else in order to beat someone. Yeah.

Q. She was saying, too, that she loves the fight, and she's trying to learn to enjoy it. Do you enjoy the fight when you lose? That's a tricky thing with players. Everyone says, I love to fight. It's great to love to fight when you win. But can you actually come off a court after you lose and say, God, that was great; lost 7 6 in the third; it was fun being out there, screaming, swearing, the whole thing?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I think there are different ways of showing your will to fight. I mean, there's you know, I've played some opponents where they've said, Come on after every single point they've won and pump their fist.
Deep down inside I know they're not really great fighters, and I know that mentally I'm much stronger than them. That's just something you feel when you're out there. The fight is not so much about, you know, just the winning a point and just the celebration. It's the whole process of working up to that match, working up to a tournament, of mentally being strong and having a really good attitude.
You know, I've had matches where I've fought really hard. But if I look back, you know, maybe my attitude wasn't quite where it should have been, or maybe I was a little bit negative instead of me when I should have been a little bit more positive.
It's more of a personal thing. But I do love the fight of it, and if I knew that every if we all knew that every single day we were going to wake up and the fighter's going to win the tennis match, we wouldn't really have tennis.
That's why you go on the court, and that's why you play matches and that's why we all compete. Some days some players have better days than others. You know, if the No. 1 seed went on every day, you know, we wouldn't even have to play matches, because they're the favorites.
That's why we go out and play. It's a new day and new opponent and a new challenge.

Q. It was a very attractive outfit you wore today.
MARIA SHARAPOVA: It was the same as the other day.

Q. Well, I didn't watch you the other day.
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Oh, come on, Bud.

Q. It was new. Are you and Venus in a clothing war?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: No. Goodness, no. (laughter.)
No, not at all.

Q. What do you think of her outfit?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I think it's great. I think she's certainly pushed the buttons, and I think it's so fun that in tennis we can really express our own personalities and we can do some different things, especially if we're able to be involved in working on our own designs. I think it's fun out there.

Q. So you design your stuff?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Uh huh. I do the design.


(via Roland Garros)

Roland Garros 2010: Maria Sharapova's 28. May Interview