Sharapova Stands Up For Women’s Tennis

Maria Sharapova blasted her way into the 3rd round of the 2012 Australian Open, winning 6-0 6-1 over Jamie Hampton, and then had a few choice words to say about the women’s tennis game. She seemed genuinely irritated when asked about challenges early on in a Grand Slam, saying:

“You never know what you’re going to get. Sometimes we come out and we play three-set matches from the beginning and then it’s a question of ‘You’re top five in the world, why is someone challenging you to three sets from the beginning?’ I think it’s just an excuse to make another story. That’s really what it all comes down to. My goal is to go into a match and play my game. If I do it well enough and come out winning 6-0, 6-1, then I’ve done a good job.”

The 3-time Grand Slam champion has a point. Nobody complains when Djokovic massacres his opponents early on in Grand Slams.

Sharapova also added that she’s focused on doing well in the Olympics this year:

“This year is a big year for me because I’ll be playing in the Olympics, which has been a dream of mine since I was a young girl. Growing up in Russia, tennis wasn’t a big sport back then. It was all about being an Olympian, especially the winter sports. Fortunately we’ve been able to change that a little bit and tennis has become extremely popular back in Russia. This year to have a long grass-court season will be fun.”

Source: The Guardian