M. SHARAPOVA/S. Kuznetsova

4 6, 6 2, 6 2

An interview with:

MARIA SHARAPOVA
 

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Maria, please.

Q. Match point there, how much did you have left in the tank?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Just enough to win that match point, that's it.

Q. Do you get a sense of who was feeling the heat more, yourself or your opponent?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: It was hard to think about anything else except yourself. I was just trying to tell myself mentally just to get through it. I kept thinking back in my off season, you know, how hard it was when I was training physically, and I thought I couldn't go any more, but I knew that I had some more even though my body thought I didn't.
I remember those moments, and I just kept fighting, just trying to take as much time as I can and fight.

Q. At what point did you first start to feel sick or feel exhausted?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, from the beginning of the match, it was quite hot. I was a bit lazy at the beginning of the match. I didn't run for as many balls. I wasn't getting balls back that I could have got back. You know, I was making too many errors.
But the third set end of second set is when I think both of us started feeling the heat and feeling tired and wanted the points to go a lot quicker.

Q. Will your post match routine to recuperate change from what you normally do after this match?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, I'll definitely be drinking a lot of water and going to the bathroom every five minutes. But other than that, no.

Q. Where does it rank heat wise as far as matches you've played?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I think it is I've played in hot weather, but I've never played three sets in the hot weather, and I've never played the quarterfinals of the Australian Open in hot weather. So this is a first for me.
But like I said, you've got to start somewhere, you've got to learn, and you've got to find a way to get through it.

Q. Is it helpful to have a 10 minute break before the third set?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Definitely. It's very helpful because I thought both of us were you know, that's when we were starting to get a little tired and we wanted the points to go shorter, so we were going for our shots. And I think the quality of the tennis started to pick up once we took the break. Well, I felt like it did. I felt like after I got the break, my body cooled down a little bit.

Q. Do you think they should have it at other tournaments where heat can be as high as here?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I think they do.

Q. Regarding the surface, Lleyton said it's as slow as clay. In the heat, did you feel it's very slow, it's like clay?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I don't worry about the surface when it's 35 degrees outside. That's the last thing on my mind.

Q. Is it too slow, the surface?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Oh, if it's slow for me, it's slow for my opponent. So doesn't matter.