‘I Must Get Stronger’ Maria Sharapova.
You have to hand it Maria Sharapova, she is a real pro. She is only 18 years old, she had just lost her precious Wimbledon title - beaten by Venus Williams 7-6, 6-1 in the semi final - but she took it on the chin.
So, the gentle American voice asked, do you think Venus played so well because she wanted to avenge the defeat of her sister? That she was playing for family pride? Apparently not, not according to Maria Sharapova.
“I don’t think it has anything to do with family or anything like that,” she said, sounding much older than her years. “It was Venus out there. It wasn’t Serena. I just played against a really good opponent. You know, I thought we played a really good match. Today it went to the better person.”
That’s that, then. Maria Sharapova was over-powered, plain and simple. It is not that she did not try, it was just that she was second best on the day and put under pressure from the very start.
“I don’t think I played my best tennis,” she said. “But credit to her for not letting me play my best. She had a lot of deep balls - hard, deep balls. She was serving consistently big. On the contrary, I don’t think I was serving as big. But I don’t have as big a serve as her. I don’t think I had a really high percentage.
“I really try to do the best I can, you know, fight. I don’t know. When I came off the court, I knew the quality was good. But you also know that you lost the match, so it’s hard to think that way.” Maria Sharapova said.
So with the title taken from her and a heap of ranking points wiped from her tally (so ending any chance she had of claiming the world No. 1 ranking in the immediate future), what does Maria Sharapova do now? She had beaten Williams twice in the past, so what could she do to ensure that she never has to take such a hiding from the American again?
“I need to be stronger,” Maria Sharapova said. “The stronger I get, the bigger my serve will be, the easier it will be for me to maybe hold serve and get more free points. But at 18, I don’t think it’s possible to have a huge consistent serve, and I realise that and I accept it. I know with hard work and practice and repetition, it will get bigger and stronger and more accurate.”
At the age of 18, Maria Sharapova knows that she can get better. She is not half bad now, but there is more to come. Williams ought to enjoy her moment in the spotlight again because she is, at the moment, the best she can be. This is as good as it gets. And Maria Sharapova will be back. Can she see herself holding up the trophy again? “Oh, yeah,” she said. “I will do everything I can to make sure of it.” The rest of the locker room has been warned.