It certainly felt good to start, after not playing a match for a couple of months. Despite all the training, it's such a different feeling to go out on the court and play in front of a crowd, you always want to apply the things you work on little by little into match atmosphere. I think I did that quite well. I wanted to start off sharp and try to do the right things.

Maria Sharapova

Categorized in : Sports

Women's tennis is getting faster and the girls are getting more athletic, so I need to push myself to become a better athlete. I think 2013 showed me, like a few other years how important being healthy is and how I must listen to my body. During this off season I have been a little smarter on how I train and how I treat my body.

Maria Sharapova

girl athlete thinking

I had so many outs in my career. I could have said, I don’t need this. I have money; I have fame; I have victories; I have Grand Slams. But when your love for something is bigger than all those things, you continue to keep getting up in the morning when it’s freezing outside, when you know that it can be the most difficult day, when nothing is working, when you feel like the belief sometimes isn’t there from the outside world, and you seem so small. But you can achieve great things when you don’t listen to all those things.

Maria Sharapova

careers morning sports

If everything was going smoothly you would never build character.

Maria Sharapova

ifs character

I'm just a very tough person when I go on the court, and I really don't want to lose.

Maria Sharapova

tough-person goes-on want

I look forward to the challenges.

Maria Sharapova

challenges looks

It's always tough when you lose - you've worked so hard for that moment and it hasn't gone the way you wanted. But you have to realise there's always a bright side, you have to pick yourself up and get ready for the next game.

Maria Sharapova

being-positive games way

We all started under the sun and finished under the lights.

Maria Sharapova

finished light sun

When I walk through that gate to the court, that's my escape. I block out everything, good and bad.

Maria Sharapova

tennis block focus

I love what I do and I love being an athlete, but I also love all the things that have come with it.

Maria Sharapova

athlete

I want to be different. If everyone is wearing black, I want to be wearing red.

Maria Sharapova

wearing-black different want

I've been very competitive by nature from a young age, whether it was eating a bowl of pasta faster than somebody else, or always wanting to be the first one in line.

Maria Sharapova

pasta age birthday

I'm an athlete. I go out there and fight my heart out.

Maria Sharapova

fighting athlete heart

It's easy to impress me. I don't need a fancy party to be happy. Just good friends, good food, and good laughs. I'm happy. I'm satisfied. I'm content.

Maria Sharapova

friends good-friend party

You have your bad moments in your career and your good moments. And it's been a good ride so far, but it's not over yet.

Maria Sharapova

good-moments careers moments

I have had lots of luck in my career but there has also been a lot of hard work.

Maria Sharapova

hard-work careers luck

There are days when I go out on the court and I feel like I can't miss a ball.

Maria Sharapova

court balls missing

It's pretty hard being a tennis player and Mother Theresa at the same time and that's just the way it is.

Maria Sharapova

tennis player mother

I have a Russian heart.

Maria Sharapova

heart

No matter what you study, the thing that you know best is what you grew up with.

Maria Sharapova

grew-up study matter

I think it's so cool to be tall. Even when I'm not wearing heels people tell me I'm tall and I always take it as a complement. The good thing is I can always see everybody in the room.

Maria Sharapova

people rooms thinking