If I'm nervous, it means I had to work hard to get there, whether it's playing in a tournament or speaking at an event. So I try to stop and be proud of getting to live in that moment.
— Maria Sharapova
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.
I'm always on the go. I love doing things until I hit rock bottom. Then I need my 12 hours of sleep, and I'm on the go again.
If I can create something that allows a woman to feel better - that is the true reward.
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.
I'd love to open a tennis school for children in my hometown of Sochi.
When I walk through that gate to the court, that's my escape. I block out everything, good and bad.
I'm not a huge gym person, so I try to stay away from the gym. But I love to run on the beach or go for a walk. It's better than riding a stationary bike.
I try not to hit a swing volley and run back. So my swing volley is kind of that transition to the net. It's been one of my favorite shots ever since I was young.
You control your own wins and losses.
My parents had a normal life in Russia and they could have easily kept living a normal life, working and raising a child in Russia.
I'm an athlete. I go out there and fight my heart out.
I look forward to the challenges.
I don't worry about what my opponent is doing.
Well, fans always root for the underdog.
I'm just like every other girl who likes to shop, likes to look good, likes to spend time with friends.
I don't follow other players or the tournaments they play. I have my own schedule and do my own thing. I never really think, 'Oh, I want to be or play like so-and-so.' I just like being myself.
When you travel so many weeks a year, it's always nice to have a home-cooked meal.
I'd like to have a family.
I'm focused on going out every day and doing my best.
When you look good, you feel good. Confidence with what you're wearing is very important. If you feel good, you will always perform your best without worrying about anything.
When you are young, you are a little naive.
I still love things that you don't even need to pay for. Going to the beach and being around five of your friends and having a good time means so much more than going out and spending hundreds of dollars.
When you're going through tough moments, you never know when you're going to have good moments.
I love yoga. I do yoga when I have time, which is not very often.
I have a Russian heart.
I heard endless conversations between my parents when I was going to sleep about how we would survive, how we would continue. All of them were about trying to make me better.
I mean, I think I'm doing a lot better than other people that have had shoulder surgery in their careers. Some people have never come back.
I can't please everyone. That's not in my J.D., you know, not in my job description.
As an individual, I take every match seriously, no matter who I'm going to play.
There are days when I go out on the court and I feel like I can't miss a ball.
A great tennis career is something that a 15-year-old normally doesn't have. I hope my example helps other teens believe they can accomplish things they never thought possible.
I'm not the next anyone, I'm the first Maria Sharapova.
I have had lots of luck in my career but there has also been a lot of hard work.
When I need to push myself, I think of all those nicely polished trophies waiting to be lifted up by the winner - and how that winner might be me.
To be honest, everything in my life outside of tennis is great. I'm doing amazing projects that, if I didn't have time off, I wouldn't be able to focus on.
Since I was young, the artistic expression that fashion embodies has inspired me. It's a way to communicate oneself.
I want to be different. If everyone is wearing black, I want to be wearing red.
If you're able to help some people and make them smile and make them realize that life is good, then that's worth so much more than buying a pair of shoes.
I love playing for my country, getting the support. Especially for the kids and everybody, showing my example of what I can achieve so early. And maybe they can achieve it, too, just to get that in their minds.
Sometimes when you're putting the work in it just seems so, so hard, and you never know when that work's going to pay off.
I'm just a very tough person when I go on the court, and I really don't want to lose.
I definitely feel Russian inside, even when I'm in America I feel Russian.
I love competing.
The more matches I play, the more confident I get.
The forehands or backhands don't mean much after three hours.
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.
Sometimes I feel my arm is like a swan's neck - so weak.
I've been playing against older and stronger competition my whole life. It has made me a better tennis player and able to play against this kind of level despite their strength and experience.
I learned there's a big difference between juniors and the pros.
