Moscow, June 1 (RIA Novosti) - The world's Number Two woman tennis player Maria Sharapova of Russia wants to become Number One, she said in an interview with the Trud (Labour) daily.
Asked if successes make the young tennis star dizzy (Vladimir Putin congratulated the Russian woman tennis player on her 18th birhday), Maria confidently said "no" but noted that the president's congratulation had certainly inspired her to make new advances.
In Maria's opinion, the level of tennis at Roland Garros is very high now, and all the tennis players figuring in the international Top Ten list are very dangerous rivals. Miss Sharapova holds the view, however, that the sense of sport is to vie for honours with most brilliant competitors.
Maria keeps polishing up her tennis skill. According to her, after she lost to Serena Williams of the USA in the semifinals of the Australian Open she seriously worked to eliminate her mistakes, and this enabled her to win the tournament in Tokyo.
But, in Maria's opinion, it is important to analyze not only one's own defeats but also victories. "While doing so, you make sure that the means you use on the tennis court are really a formidable weapon which beats the opponent," she says.
Legendary woman tennis player Martina Navratilova figured prominently in Miss Sharapova's fate. During her trip to Moscow to play an exhibition match Martina saw children play, and paid attention to five-year-old Maria. She said that if the girl kept training a good future was in store for her. And Ms. Navratilova was right.
Last year Maria Sharapova triumphed in Wimbledon.
