Nightlife Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Maria Sharapova 2012 Australian Open Round 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightlife Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Maria Sharapova 2012 Australian Open Round 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yulkin27 Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 Maria Sharapova at Pre-Australian Open Party in Melbourne, 15 January Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightlife Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightlife Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Dominant Sharapova Advances Rod Laver Arena is a long way from the public courts of Alabama where Jamie Hampton first learnt to play. But today, in just her fourth main draw Grand Slam match, Hampton took on 2008 champion Maria Sharapova. Hampton has improved her ranking by more than 500 places since 2010 but is still outside the top 100, while Sharapova is a long-time lodger at the Hotel Top 10. There was no sign of nerves as the qualifier aced her more-accomplished opponent on the first point of the match but, sadly, it was not a sign of things to come with Sharapova winning comfortably 6-1 6-0 over an opponent she entered the match knowing little about. “I didn't know too much about her, but saw a little bit on video. When you haven't played someone before, it's more a matter of how you're playing and how you're figuring out about her game from the beginning rather than thinking too much of what is she going to do. “In the first five or six games, I think four of those went to deuce. We went back and forth. A few of those games she was up 40‑15 and I came back. ‘Those are tough games because you put yourself in a position where you have to pull through,†said Sharapova. Since winning her third Grand Slam title at Melbourne Park in 2008, Sharapova has had a surprisingly lean run here. She didn't make the trip in 2009 due to injury, in 2010 she was a shock first-round casualty, falling to countrywoman Maria Kirilenko, and last year she made it as far as the fourth round where Dancing German Andrea Petkovic caused an upset. This year though, Sharapova looks to be closer to the form she displayed in her championship winning year of 2008. The former No.1 is hitting the ball with a ferocity that few on the WTA Tour can muster let alone keep up with. For a large part of this morning's match, Hampton was busily scurrying from side to side, desperately trying to stay in the point. On a few occasions early in the match the American looked promising, but once Sharapova hit her stride, Hampton was in trouble. Hampton's movement to the net was a positive sign and she showed that when she gets there she has a clean pair of hands and possesses a competent net game. Sadly for the world No.144, Sharapova wasn't intimidated by her coming to the net, if anything she saw it as a challenge. As both Hampton and the RLA crowd watched on, Sharapova conducted a master class in how to hit sublime passing shots – both down the line and crosscourt – and even a perfectly weighted double-handed backhand lob. Sharapova simply did everything today, and well. The problems for Hampton began in the opening game when the 22-year-old had two game points but couldn't close it out handing the first break to her opponent. Sensing blood, Sharapova upped the ante in the second game of the match with a cracking crosscourt forehand that left the advancing Hampton stranded mid-court. The result? Not just a winner but Sharapova had asserted her authority and put doubt in Hampton's mind regarding any future movements forward of the baseline. Sharapova's next tactic was to attack Hampton's second serve. The young American was only landing her first serve 50 per cent of the time, giving Sharapova plenty of looks at her second serve, which she devoured gleefully. Hampton’s only chance to break came in the sixth game of the first set. Some uncharacteristic errors from Sharapova gave Hampton an opening, but she just couldn’t convert, with the Russian forcing her way back into the game through some heavy hitting before closing out the set 6-0 in 36 minutes. In the second set Hampton finally got on the board, holding serve in the third game of the set, but from there it was all Sharapova, the fourth seed racing away with the set and the match 6-1 in 28 minutes. The win sets up a third-round clash with 30th-seeded German Angelique Kerber who accounted for Stephanie Dubois 7-5 6-1. Kerber surprised many by making it to the semifinals of the US Open last year when she was ranked No.92 in the world. “I think every match is a test,†said Sharapova. “Whichever next one comes, I mean, the goal is to get through and keep playing more. I came in here not playing too many at all. “It's just about taking it one at a time and improving, because it's only going to get tougher from here. That's the goal.†Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightlife Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Australian Open 2nd Round Interview Q. Do you draw a lot of satisfaction from a match like that? MARIA SHARAPOVA: As opposed to what? Q. It's not a real test for you. MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, in the first five or six games, I think four of those went to deuce. We went back and forth. A few of those games she was up 40 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightlife Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Maria Sharapova 2012 Australian Open Round 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightlife Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Maria Sharapova x Jamie Hampton AO 2012 rd 2 Full match. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightlife Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Maria Sharapova 2012 Australian Open Round 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Undo It Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 Good stuff Nightlife! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightlife Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 Maria Sharapova 2012 Australian Open Round 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightlife Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 Any guesses what she is saying Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightlife Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Sharapova Continues Steady Progress Some players relax during their off days by reading thrillers, such as No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, who during the Australian Open is reading James Patterson’s “TickTock.†But not Maria Sharapova, who has decided to fill her head with a few darker thoughts before she takes her afternoon nap. The Russian is reading George Orwell’s classic “1984.†“It was never really given to me in my high school years,†said Sharapova, who was already playing on the WTA when she would have been in high school†So decided that this is a good time. My trainer actually [Juan Reque] picked it up for me. I have to be nice and read it. He spent $20 on it, so... it was either that or the running book by Haruki Murakami. I was like, I don't think so. I was like worst thing about running is reading a book about running.†Like the main character in “1984,†Big Brother, Sharapova has spent the first week of the Australian Open subordinating her foes. On Saturday, she hit through US Open semifinalist Angelique Kerber 6-1, 6-2. Despite the score, the German battled her in the second set, but the 24-year-old Sharapova is incredibly focused and has been right on the ball since the tournament gates opened. “Big Sister†Sharapova has only lost 5 games through her first five matches. That’s the least amount of games that the three time Grand Slam champion has lost at any major. “This one became pretty tough in the second set,†she said. “She certainly stepped it up, got that break back, got more confidence, started going for her shots. I never faced her before, but knew she's been on the big stage. Last Grand Slam she did pretty well. She's been on that stage, has beaten good players. I felt like I was aggressive enough. In the first set I didn't give her a chance to do what she likes. In the second set, it became a bit more of a battle. But I felt like I stepped it up when I had to here and there.†Sharapova had no 2012 warm-up matches prior to the tournament due to an ankle injury and in fact had only played five matches since Flavia Pennetta shocked her in the third round of the US Open in early September. Against Kerber, the free swinger cracked 34 winners, 18 on her vaunted forehand side, and won 61% of the left-handed Kerber's service points. Like two other veterans and former Australian Open winners, Kim Clijsters and Serena Williams, the 24-year-old Sharapova has put in enough time overall on court not to be overly concerned that she’ll panic without match practice, or lose complete rhythm. She will keep trying to improve and has made adjustments, but she has learned to trust her base. “You know what's won you matches before, what's won you Grand Slams,†she said. “ou know what's gotten you to the top. [but] I don't think necessarily all those things, if you repeat them the same way, will maybe get you the same result because everything always changes. You have to adapt to whatever comes your way. Not one day is ever the same, not one match is ever the same. You have some good ones, some disappointing ones. But you stick to what you do best.†Like in 2008 when she did not drop a set en route to the final, Sharapova has a very tough draw ahead. Four years ago, she toppled a future Olympic gold medalist in Elena Dementieva, a former Aussie Open champion in Justine Henin, a future No. 1 in Jelena Jankovic and a future Roland Garros champion in Ana Ivanovic. She’ll face Wimbledon semifinalist Sabine Lisicki in the fourth round who played her tough in London; then could face 13-time Grand champion Serena Williams in the quarterfinals; Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova in the semifinals and maybe defending champ Clijsters in the final. Anyway you shake it, her draw is brutal. But that’s the way she likes it. As long as she’s in charge the whole way through and, of course, can spend her off time trying to dissect Orwell. The other say she was asked what she would do if the world ended this year (the Mayan calendar predicts it will). She laughed the question off then but on Saturday, she expressed one wish: “I really hope I can finish that book by the time the world ends.†Another Australian Open title would not be a bad way to go out, either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightlife Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Australian Open 3rd Round Interview Q. Pretty good. First three matches, lost five games? MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, this one became pretty tough in the second set. She certainly stepped it up, got that break back, got more confidence, started going for her shots. I never faced her before, but knew she's been on the big stage. Last Grand Slam she did pretty well. She's been on that stage, has beaten good players. Yeah, I felt like I was aggressive enough. In the first set I didn't give her a chance to do what she likes. In the second set, it became a bit more of a battle. But I felt like I stepped it up when I had to here and there. It ended up being 62, so... Q. Yesterday Bernard Tomic said during a match there's 15,000 people making noise, he doesn't hear anything during the point. Is that something that comes naturally to you since you were young? MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah. It's just about playing a lot of matches. There's so many people. Obviously I'm sure not everyone is in the match. Some are talking, some are doing their thing. I think if your concentration is there, you're only there for a certainly amount of time, you're not there for 24 hours. I think your time and commitment has to be on the court, the ball and racquet, what you're doing with it, instead of paying attention to what's around you. Q. Kim said last night, she hasn't played as much as you, over the last year when she came back on tour after her retirement she pretty much felt like she knew how to play. Once she got back on court she could read things better because she wasn't such a young player anymore, so there was no panic. Do you feel the same way? MARIA SHARAPOVA: You mean, after not playing for a year? Q. Even playing sporadically, not having any warmup matches coming in here, hitting the ground running? MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, I mean, I think you just have to take it as, okay, you go into an event, whether it's a Grand Slam or anywhere else in the world, if you're committed to playing that tournament, you have to be ready from the first match. Sometimes you have to be realistic in terms of knowing that your level might not be exactly where you'd want it to be in the first round and you're going to be a bit rusty. But ultimately you have enough experience, you certainly played enough matches, it's just about hopefully getting through this one, getting better. Of course, playing is important. There's nothing that can substitute that, whether it's practice, gym, running, anything. But if you don't have the chance or if you're injured, any time off, when you come back, it's about also being realistic. Sometimes you can't come out and perform your best tennis from the beginning. It's just the way things are. Q. She also said it's an accumulation, meaning she understands her own game much better. I assume from 2004 Wimbledon till now you have a much better understanding of what you can and can't do? MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, absolutely. You know your strengths. You know what's won you matches before, what's won you Grand Slams. You know what's gotten you to the top. I don't think necessarily all those things, if you repeat them the same way, will maybe get you the same result because everything always changes. You have to adapt to whatever comes your way. I mean, not one day is ever the same, not one match is ever the same. You have some good ones, some disappointing ones. But, yeah, you stick to what you do best. Q. Given you haven't played much since October, would you have preferred to have been tested a little bit more than you have done in the first week? MARIA SHARAPOVA: I take it as it comes. You don't know what the score is going to be before the match. If you prepare yourself well enough, you go out there, you play well enough to win with a comfortable scoreline, then I'll take it. Q. Would you say you're happy with all aspects of your game so far then? MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah. You know, like I said, it became a bit more challenging in the second set. She broke back. She certainly stepped it up and played with much more confidence. You could tell she got her groove going in the second. Sometimes when the player kind of picks up and starts going for her shots, sometimes you're going to have to let that ride. Although, if she can do that for three sets or so, then credit to her. Q. When you get through the end of the first week of a Grand Slam, do you start looking forward to a quarterfinal or semifinal opponent, or pretty much the next game? MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, it's pretty much the next match. Q. Thoughts about your next match? MARIA SHARAPOVA: I've played each before. Svetlana I played in Cincinnati last year. Lisicki I played at Wimbledon. Both are tough opponents. Both have very different games. Lisicki has a lot of power, big serve. Kuznetsova is more of an allaround player, has won Grand Slams before, has experience, is playing well. Either way it will be a tough match. Q. Is it possible to enjoy your inbetween days at the slams? MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, I enjoy my afternoon naps (smiling). I love them. Q. After practice, can you put tennis a little bit behind you and have dinner, shopping, have a little bit of fun? MARIA SHARAPOVA: Not so much shopping. But it's pretty routine. You practice. I usually do 30 minutes of shoulder work and exercises. Go back, take a nap, read my book, watch some tennis, do some treatment, have dinner, go to sleep. Q. What are you reading? MARIA SHARAPOVA: George Orwell's 1984. Q. Very light reading. MARIA SHARAPOVA: You're telling me. I know, I'm not going to say the gentleman, but the guy that asked me the ridiculous question about the world ending. I was going to say, I really hope I can finish that book by the time the world ends (smiling). Q. Are you glad he's not here today? MARIA SHARAPOVA: Doesn't really matter to me. One less question, right? Q. It's a good book. Pretty heavy. MARIA SHARAPOVA: It was never really given to me in my high school years. So decided that this is a good time. I don't know. My trainer actually picked it up for me. I have to be nice and read it. He spent $20 on it, so... Got to be nice. Got to use my gifts. It was either that or the running book by Haruki Murakami, where he wrote about running. I was like, I don't think so. I was like worst thing about running is reading a book about running. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightlife Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Maria Sharapova 2012 Australian Open Round 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightlife Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Maria Sharapova 2012 Australian Open Round 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightlife Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Maria Sharapova 2012 Australian Open Round 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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