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** Masha News and Articles! ** Vol. 3

390K views 6K replies 244 participants last post by  tejmeglekvár 
#1 ·
Hi everyone :wavey:

Thought maybe we could use a thread here to post all the news, interviews, and articles we find on Masha. :)

I just got my new Tennis Week magazine and Maria is on the cover again (she was also on the March cover). :eek:

If they haven't been posted already, I'll scan in the pics and article and post them here later.
 
#376 ·
http://www.latimes.com/sports/tennis/la-sp-indian-wells-sharapova-20130306,0,5763855.story

Maria Sharapova's love of tennis blooms in desert at Indian Wells
Maria Sharapova, ranked No. 3 in world, considers BNP Paribas Open a hometown tournament. The part-time Southland resident is playing Indian Wells for 11th time.

By Diane Pucin

March 5, 2013, 5:27 p.m.
Maria Sharapova considers the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells a hometown tournament.

The Russian tennis pro has a home in Manhattan Beach, her parents have a home in Topanga Canyon and she even has a favorite Italian restaurant in Southern California, La Sosta Enoteca in Hermosa Beach.

And so it makes Sharapova happy that she will be seeded second to Victoria Azarenka when the women's tournament begins Wednesday. Men's main draw play begins Friday.

"I like this tournament because the people come to watch the tennis," Sharapova said. "As tennis players, when we see fans driving up, see a line of spectators, it's incredible."

Sharapova, who turns 26 next month, is ranked No. 3 in the world. She is playing this event for the 11th time; she won in 2006 and lost in the final last year to Azarenka, currently No. 2. Top-ranked Serena Williams is not entered and hasn't played at Indian Wells since 2001.

It was a relaxed and focused Sharapova who spoke about her continuing love for the game, her intent to win more major tournaments and her determination to figure out how to beat Williams and Azarenka, who tend to overpower Sharapova in big moments.

Williams pummeled Sharapova in the Olympic gold medal match, 6-0, 6-1, last year, and Azarenka beat Sharapova in the Indian Wells final, 6-2, 6-3.

But Sharapova is an international star, one of only two women on Forbes magazine's list of the 100 highest-paid athletes in the world last year (she's 26th; Chinese tennis pro Li Na is 81st). Sharapova just finished work on an Evian water campaign last week and she has her own brand of candy called "Sugarpova" that became instantly popular when it debuted last year. According to Forbes, in 2012 Sharapova earned $5.9 million in tournament winnings and $22 million in endorsements.

It isn't the money that drives Sharapova, though. It is the urge to compete.

She said she still does 20 to 30 minutes of daily rehabilitation work for a right shoulder that was surgically repaired in 2008. Sharapova won Wimbledon in 2004, the U.S. Open in 2006 and the Australian Open in 2008 before her chronically aching shoulder ultimately sidelined her for 10 months and caused her to wonder whether she would ever be a top player again.

In what she describes as one of her happiest moments on a tennis court, Sharapova completed a career sweep of the major tournaments when she won the French Open last year. She also briefly took over the No. 1 ranking after falling outside the top 100 for a time after returning from the surgery.

Her first tournament back in 2009 was at Indian Wells (in doubles), a sign of how much she loves the event, she said.

"You never know about how you will handle something bad until it happens," Sharapova said. "No one had come back to the top of the game after my type of injury.

"And the serve is just a big part of the game, of anyone's game, but I felt like I had to go for it and I still feel like I have so many more years, so much energy, eagerness, motivation. So I'm not going anywhere for a while."
 
#377 ·
http://www.tennisnet.com/deutschlan...wird-neuer-Sharapova-Trainingspartner/4695292

Kindlmann wird neuer Sharapova-Trainingspartner

Der Neo-Coach wird bis zu den French Open in Paris mit der vierfachen Grand-Slam-Siegerin arbeiten.

Anfang des Jahres war Ex-Profi Dieter Kindlmann in den Trainerstab der TennisBase Oberhaching eingetreten. Das Leben als Coach währte jedoch nur wenige Wochen, denn am Donnerstag machte sich der 30-Jährige ganz ohne Schützling auf den Weg zum Münchner Flughafen. Sein Ziel: Los Angeles. Drei Monate lang wird der Allgäuer, ehemals die Nummer 130 der ATP-Weltrangliste, als Trainingspartner für Maria Sharapova arbeiten.

„Ein riesen Abenteuer für mich“

Thomas Högstedt, Coach der Weltranglisten-Dritten, wollte ihn unbedingt haben, und Kindlmann konnte dieses Angebot nicht ausschlagen: „Mit einer der bekanntesten Sportlerinnen der Welt so eng zusammenzuarbeiten, das ist ein riesen Abenteuer für mich. Und noch dazu eine tolle Gelegenheit, Erfahrungen für meinen späteren Job als Trainer zu sammeln“, so der sympathische Allgäuer kurz vor dem Abflug.

„Reise ins Unbekannte“

Nervös ist Kindlmann allerdings auch: „Ich habe schon viel erlebt als Tennisprofi. Aber das ist eine Reise ins Unbekannte. Ich hoffe, dass ich den Erwartungen gerecht werden kann.“ Bis zu den French Open soll die Zusammenarbeit laufen, danach gehört er wieder dem Trainerstab der TennisBase Oberhaching an. Kindlmann ist nicht der einzige Deutsche, mit dem Sharapova arbeitet, kürzlich hatte sie Nicolas Kiefer auf Probe als Co-Trainer verpflichtet.
Didi Kindlmann is going to work with Maria until French Open :p
 
#378 ·
Q&A's

Agnieszka Radwanksa

If you were a rapper, what would your rapper name be?
Good question! I don’t know! I have no idea!

What is the name of your first pet?
Goucho.

What is the name of the street you grew up on?
Helslov (sp?)

Ok, so your rapper name is Goucho Helslov!
Yeah? Ok! (laughter)

If you could have a room full of anything, what would it be?
Flowers. And I think chocolate as well.

Do you have any secret talents?
I can really do very good makeup and hair on my own.

Petra Kvitova

If you could switch lives with someone for one day, who would it be and why?
I like my life, so...I don’t think I would want to change. (laughter) But probably with some other sports athlete, but I’m not sure who.

Do you have a favorite app that you use on your phone?
WhatsApp!

Any Celebrity Crushes?
No, I’m not a party girl so..... (laughter)

There aren’t any actors that you think are cute?
No. (laughter)

Caroline Wozniacki

Do you have any secret talents?
I don’t know if it is a secret but I like to bake. I think that is a talent of mine, I would say so. Every time I bake something it’s gone in no time, so I am assuming that they like it. (laughter)

Samantha Stosur

If you were a hip hop artist, what would your name be?
I have no idea! (laughter)

What is the name of your first pet?
I am trying to think if there was anyone before Billy our dog.... Pete the cockatoo! (laughter)

What is the name of the street you grew up on?

Tasmolve Park (sp?)

So then it’s Pete Tasmolve (sp?) Park.
That’s not that great. (hysterical laughter)

What are you most afraid of?
I went through a stage of really hating flying, and I’ve kinda gotten over that in the last year. But, yeah, that really wasn’t great.

If you could switch lives with someone for one day, who would it be and why?
I got asked this the other day and I went saw a Pink concert last week in Tampa and watching her perform, I thought, you know what it would be really cool to be in her shoes for a day and do what she does and have that life of a singer and pop star to see what it all entails. That would be really interesting.

Victoria Azarenka

If you were a hip hop artist, what would your name be?
Really? (laughter)

Yes, really.
You know, I actually have a record, of me rapping. I’m not gonna play it for anybody, but, my friends actually came up with that, they called me “Queen V” We just came from London, so “Queen” was from London so that is how they came up with that.

What if your favorite app that you use on your phone right now?
WhatsApp.

Do you have any secret talents that you are willing to share?
I can cook pretty good.

What is your best dish?
I love to cook fish.

If you could switch lives with someone for one day, who would it be and why?
I don’t think anybody. I love my life, I’m so privileged to have this life and this opportunity. I dunno, I would love to maybe fly! Just to try for a change!

If you could have a room full of anything, what would it be?
Ice Cream. Just walk into ice cream. (laughter)

What flavor?
I love different flavors, I love chocolate, I love vanilla, I love coffee....and Chunky Monkey. (laughter)

Maria Sharapova

What is your favorite app on your telephone?
Oh wow! I like this application called 8 mm. It makes really cool videos in 8 mm form. That’s my favorite right now, it changes, daily.

Do you have a secret talents?
I’m not a bad singer.

Would you like to sing something for us?
Absolutely not. (laughter)

Do you do karaoke or what do you do?
I love Karaoke.

What kind of music?
I’m good at singing Cher. I can bust that out. And not bad at Rihanna. I can do Rihanna pretty good.

Do you like the Cher low notes?
No, no, no, no. I’m more the high notes. Like, “Do you Believe...!” (singing Cher)

If you could have a room full of anything, what would it be?
A room full of roses, I love roses.

What color roses?
I like the orange/pink ones that have the two shades to them.

If you were a hip hop artist, what would your name be?
Hmmm, I don’t know I’m not good at that! PimpMePova! (hysterical laughter)

Where did you get your earrings? They are really cute!
I think they are Tom Benz. I got them in New York.


http://www.onthegotennis.com/home/photos-and-interviews-from-the-wta-all-access-hour.html
 
#382 ·
http://tennis.si.com/2013/03/07/maria-sharapova-indian-wells/

Twitter newcomer Maria Sharapova proud of candy line, karaoke skills

Maria Sharapova has made a career of getting in on things early, most notably when she won her first Grand Slam title at 17. But when it comes to Twitter, she’s a late adopter, having signed up for the social-media service only two months ago. And she admits she’s struggling with it.

“It’s overwhelming,” Sharapova told a small group of reporters at the BNP Paribas Open on Wednesday. “I’m trying to make it more unique because I think what fans expect of me, what I do on a daily basis, can be quite boring. So I try to find things to say or things to share that are maybe more inside information rather than the boring stuff.”

Providing that access into her life is a two-way street. Celebrities love Twitter because it gives them a direct line of communication to their fans, but it also gives fans an open line back. Sharapova, 25, says she reads the messages she receives, which can include anything from praise to criticism to just lewd, anonymous Internet idiocy. With all the discussion in recent weeks about the negativity directed at athletes on Twitter, I asked her if she was surprised by what she saw.

“I think our society is pretty crazy at times,” she said. “So no, I’m not surprised by some of the things I read.”


The recent decision to join Twitter followed a few months after the launch of her Sugarpova gummy candy line. Both ventures seem to have presented fans with the softer side of Sharapova. A famously intense competitor, Sharapova says she’s a goofy dork at heart who likes to keep things light off the court.

“I’m not very serious in other things that I do,” said Sharapova, who is playing here this week at the BNP Paribas Open. “I’m quite playful and I don’t take things too seriously. I’m quite young inside, so I think that’s helped me stay grounded in my professional career.”

Sometimes that means rocking out to Wii karaoke.

“I love karaoke,” she said, laughing. “I’m good at singing Cher. I can bust that out. And not bad at Rihanna. I can do Rihanna pretty good.

“Apparently, I’m really good at that Wii Glee thing. I got an A-plus, thank you very much.”

And then she broke out into song, belting out a few high notes of Cher’s Believe.

Sugarpova has been a resounding success. The brand has gone global since its U.S. launch in August 2012, and not a tournament goes by that Sharapova isn’t doing her part to promote it. She spent half her day on Wednesday running from a promotional event on site to another at the La Quinta Resort in the evening.

“When I started the project,” Sharapova said, “it was all about quality. From the actual candy to the packaging, I knew that if it was done right and if it was strong in the beginning, then people would appreciate it. But it’s certainly exceeded my expectations.”

As for that new “Steamy” flavor she teased with a wink in Australia, a thinly veiled reference to her rumored romance with ATP pro Grigor Dimitrov, Sharapova tried to keep a straight face.

“Steamy is great,” she said. “Yes. It’s going to be the best flavor yet.”
 
#383 ·
Another nice one http://www.onthegotennis.com/home/sugarpova-crashers-a-q-a-with-maria-sharapova.html

SUGARPOVA CRASHERS: A Q & A WITH MARIA SHARAPOVA

What is your guilty pleasure outside of sweets?
Modern art. I love modern art. I collect modern art.


Who is your favorite artist?
A few that I can’t afford, no, I really love a California artist Chris Gwaltney, (click here to see his art) he is one of my favorites and I have many of his, Ed Moses, and I have a few of his son’s [Andy Moses] work as well. Abstract art is my favorite.

What is your biggest pet peeve?
I don’t like clogs.

So there won’t ever be any clogs in your shoe line?
No, no clogs. (laughter)

What are you most afraid of?
I don’t like insects or spiders. I don’t like dentists, I’m not a fan.

Really? Well my friend [the photographer] is a dentist.
Well....if you are friendly and gentle one, we can be friends! (laughter)

Do you have a celebrity crush?
Actually when I met Michael Jordan I was very star struck. He came up to me and said, “Oh, you’re the tennis player” and I was like “Uhhhhhhh yeah!!” (laughter)

If you had one superhero ability what would it be?
Invisibility.

If there was a fire and you could only save one thing, what would it be?
I would say my passport, just because it is so hard to get another one! (laughter)
 
#386 ·
M. SHARAPOVA/F. Schiavone
6‑2, 6‑1

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How were the conditions out there? Was it windy or had it died down by the time you were playing?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I think they were much better than I expected, much better than I thought they would be. I was expecting it to be. I played some really in tough conditions here, few matches in my career over the many years I have been here.
So today was nowhere close to that, but it was cold, one of the colder nights.

Q. Does the cold bother your shoulder more than warm weather, or does it make a difference?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: It felt good today. It takes a little more warming up than normal conditions.

Q. With all due respect to her game, she's declined a bit; we can see that in her form. It's not the same old Schiavone.
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, but she's a tough first round, that's for sure.
You know, no matter where she is in the rankings she has experience, has a Grand Slam, you know, behind her back. She likes those center court matches. She lives in those opportunities.
And her game is, you know, never an easy one. She makes you hit so many balls. Such a great slice.
But, again, that's when she has time to do all that. I try to take that away from her, you know, right from the beginning.

Q. Let's talk a little Sugarpova here. It's pretty incredible what you have done mid‑career just getting into a whole new business venture, learning a lot of new things. Just talk about the experience. Is it the problem solving you like, overcoming obstacles, crunching the numbers, dealing with people? Just talk about the experience.
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I think learning, you know. One of the things that I have really picked up over the many years I have worked with different brands and people is that I never really had a solid education in my career, but I have always liked to listen and I have liked to learn.
That was my way of learning, is through being in so many different types of meetings, whether they were creative ones, whether they were with advertisement agencies, it was just ‑‑but at the end of it all, I was just a small part of all those big brands.
I knew that one day ‑‑ I certainly didn't really think that it was going to be a couple of years ago ‑‑ I would start my own business.
Usually you would start something a lot quicker than two years, but it took two years, and I don't regret any‑‑ you know, launching it earlier than I did, because it took that much to get it all together and make it into a quality product and something that I really believed in.

Q. Have you looked into like women entrepreneurs or anything like that, women who have really gone into the business world?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I respect women that start something with a creative idea. I mean, Dylan Lauren is a great example of that. I have actually got to meet her and I have been to many of her candy stores. She's a fun personality.
You really have to be passionate for something to be successful. I always saw her passion. I met her when I was 19 or 20 years old at a Vogue event, and, yeah.

Q. There is a pretty big and talented, it looks like, group of young American women coming up, kind of like when they were Russia a few years ago there were a lot of young talented Russians. Does it help when there are other girls in your country that push you? Do you compete that way? Do you think it makes a difference?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, I do. I think that definitely helps. It helps having, you know, compatriots but also your competitors that not only set an example for you, but that you're competitive with enough to raise your own level to want to beat them, to want to be better.
It's also, especially at that age, you know, when you're 18, 19 years old, you're very competitive. You want to almost be that first one to, you know, whether it's to win a slam or get far in a slam, you know, get farther in the rankings than the rest, prove yourself a little bit in a way.
But there is also a very thin line of achieving a great result in one event and having so much, you know, hype around you and excitement that you almost can't control your emotions, you know.
I mean, you saw a great example of Melanie Oudin who had an incredible US Open, beat me, beat so many other great players, and now she's struggling to get back that form for a few years now.
So consistency for younger players is one of the biggest keys to becoming a successful player.

Q. Back to your business, why did you choose candy? You could have chosen any product you wanted.
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I wanted to do something that was different, that was very unexpected. You know, I have been part of, you know, clothes collaboration and done things with accessories from Japanese brands to Cole Haan to working on my own collection and Nike. I even had a perfume back many years ago.
So I wanted this to be something unique. And when the name came about right away, I knew that it was going to be candy, yeah.

Q. So the name came before the candy?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: The name came before the candy.

Q. Who came up with the idea of the name?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, Jeff Rubin, who is actually our consultant in the whole business, he had a meeting with Max about a completely different idea.
He owns sugar stores in the U.S. and around the world, and we were trying to trying to figure out a way to work together. Actually, Jeff was the one that just kind of said the name in the meeting, and Max, you know, right away called me as he‑‑ when he closed the door out of that meeting, he's like, You have to own this.
I started laughing. I thought it was ‑‑I mean, it it makes me laugh to this day when people say the name. You know, I just want to giggle.

Q. Do you have a sweet tooth?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I do. It's very bad.

Q. Can you see Sugarpova expanding into things like chocolates, ice cream, something like that?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Not at this point. I see it expanding more into different businesses, whether it's fashion or cosmetics down the line.
But I want to get ‑‑I mean, even though it's been, you know, beyond my expectations, there are still so many things and so many markets that we need to get, you know. Where now we have 12 SKUs, and we're adding three more in a few weeks. There are so many things to be done.
Right now we are trying to get around the world, and that takes‑‑ to get into one country takes at least three to four months before their own food and drug organization, you know, approves everything and ingredients. Certain countries you have to change certain ingredients for it to be sold there, the labels in different countries have to be changed. So many things you don't even think about.

Q. What does your dentist think about this?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I haven't been to the dentist in a while and I'm afraid to go.

Q. What about the American boxer, Sugar Ray Leonard, who is an avid tennis player? Thinking maybe endorsement?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I'll have to send him a few samples.

Q. You spent a lot of time in Florida. You spent time in LA. Which of the two big tournaments here this time of year feels more like the home tournament for you?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Miami has a really special place in my heart because it's where I landed for the first time in the United States as a little girl, and I went to the tournament every single year with my parents when I was training in Florida.
You know, we would drive up, and I have so many pictures every year where I would take in front of of the fountain with my mom and my dad. So that feels very close to home to me.
But this is‑‑ you know, this is also where so many friends from Southern California are able to drive up and watch me play; whereas, they're not able to do that anywhere else.

Q. I saw a picture the other day with Eugenie Bouchard, the young Canadian. A few years ago you see these players that were like little girls taking a photo with you, and now they're like on the tour.
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I know. It's scary, and I'm still here.

Q. You have such a, I don't know, a great presence when you just walk out on the court. Just talk about walking out onto all these great arenas, just the first steps you take, the interaction or the rush you get. Which of the courts do you love the most to walk out on?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I think the most unique to walk out onto is the US Open night matches. It's just the most unique feeling. I think there is a buzz. You feel the buzz and the energy of the people, and there is nothing like a NewYork crowd.

Q. Coming through that corridor, too?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: It's more just the first few steps that you take, you know, out there. You just see the flash bulbs, and that was the ‑‑ I think that was part of the reason why I just felt so great in that dress I wore and the dress that I won, because when we were talking about it so much, I was always saying how special it is, you know, the second that you walk out on the court and people right away want to know what you're wearing. And then you take off your jacket and so it's that moment. Yeah, I definitely think it's that.

Q. You were so dominant tonight. At what point did you realize this is going to be a quick match?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: You never know that until the match is over. We broke each other back and forth in the beginning of the first set, and then, you know, she had a few opportunities in the beginning.
But, you know, once I started being a little bit more aggressive I felt like I had an edge on her.
This is a long tournament. As a seeded player, you have six matches. If you do well here you have another tournament ahead of you. The philosophy is you want to get your job done, and if it takes three hours, that's what it takes.

Q. As far as the court aspect is concerned and walking out, US Open more so than Wimbledon when you're walking out and everybody just rises in unison? Is it more the fact that you wore that dress on that night in NewYork?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, at Wimbledon there is no announcement of the players. It's the feeling that, you know, it's more of the respect factor from the crowd.
In NewYork it's the energy that you feel. You know, the greatest part about Wimbledon is there is no introductions. There's, you know, no description of what you have achieved. It's just, bam, you're out there. You're out on the court, warming up, finish your warmup and you're ready, go play.
;)
 
#390 ·
BNP PARIBAS OPEN

March 10, 2013

Maria Sharapova

INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA


M. SHARAPOVA/C. Suarez Navarro
7‑5, 6‑3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Was it a routine win or was it tough out there today?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I thought it was a tough one, you know, I thought. She's a quality player. She's capable of playing really good tennis. I think this is, you know, the best that she's been ranked. As far as consistency, this is the most consistent she's‑‑ the results have been so consistent in the last year.
She's dangerous. She's beaten top players in Grand Slams before, you know. She has a really solid game, a lot of variety, but she can hit the ball, as well.
A few things that I definitely want to improve for the next one. But, yeah, I was happy I got through on not a great day.

Q. She's a name you really don't want to see early in a tournament just because she has the potential to...
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, I think, you know, she's one of the players that when she has nothing to lose I think she's a bit more free and doesn't think too much. She can be quite dangerous.

Q. Any explanation for how you signed the camera after the match, or is that just going to be a secret?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, that's pretty much staying here. (Indicating by her face.):help::confused:

Q.Women's tennis is a sport that's built on great champions, like Billie Jean King, Chris, Martina, Seles, Graf. For the fun of it, if you could go back and play one match against one great champion who you never played, who would you enjoy doing that?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Probably against Steffi. I admired her game. I admired her focus.
I'd probably say Monica, but I have played Monica before, and just because I got to see a little bit of her game and how she played when I was young and a junior, you know, towards the end of her career. You know, she's very professional and very businesslike, and I admired that of her.

Q. Do you have to attack her slice backhand or just...
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Oh, that would be tricky. I think it would be tricky till this day for anyone.

Q. There aren't that many one‑handed backhands in the game, so when you prepare to play somebody like a Suarez Navarro or a lefty, how much practice do you put in before with with a practice partner that has that sort of different type of shot?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: A little more, definitely, just because they're able to open the court a little bit more with the angle and they use the slice a lot more when they're a one‑hander. I think it's more about working‑‑ you know, having someone hit you a few more slices than usual in practice, because most one‑handers, they usually have a pretty good slice.
Yeah, against me they like to use that. You know, make sure I practice that before the match.

Q. The noise you make when you hit the ball, the USTA and the ITF are thinking about squashing that or eventually removing any ability to make any noise when you hit. What are your thoughts about that?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: What does squashing mean?

Q. Squashing means you won't be able to do it.
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Oh, that's interesting. That's a new one. I learned that today.
Well, I agree with ‑‑ you know, I agree with the plan. You know, I'm all for it, you know, if that's something that ‑‑it's one thing when you tell someone to stop doing something in the middle of someone's career when you've done it for a really long time.
It's another thing to put it in the minds of coaches and young players and juniors especially that are just starting that have a lot of time to change things, such as something in their game or their breathing technique.
But, yeah, I'm all for it.

Q. You talk sometimes of getting a kind of education away from the classroom.
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Uh‑huh.

Q. Of the different companies you have dealt with ‑ and there have been so many ‑ which company do you think you have learned the most from or which is the most interesting?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I think the most work that I have put in was probably Cole Haan because I worked really hard to make that happen in the first place. You know, I really wanted that. I wanted that collaboration, and it took a couple years for it to happen.
Once I got the belief and the trust from, you know, the people within the brand and they saw the success and once we started, I was able to really be involved with it.
Yeah, we created some really great collections, you know.

Q. Would you be a good corporate boss, do you think?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Oh, that's scary, to think about it like that. I don't like being the boss, because I think the one thing that I have learned is that it's a team effort in every single business. It's not about one person doing a collection. It's a collaboration between so many within the company and so many minds and so many ideas.
No one knows everything. No one person. So it takes a lot of great thoughts and ideas to come together on the table and create something.

Q. Have you ever met Tim Gunn?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Oh, no.

Q. Do you watch that show?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: No.

Q. Talk about Nike. They have worked with so many tennis players, back to McEnroe and Agassi. What's the dynamic there? Do they have a number of teams? Is it a creative process?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, it is. Well, the creative process, it always changes, because I have gone through a few different teams within the brand. You know, in fashion, the one thing that's kind of frustrating is that everyone always moves on to different positions.
Once you get used to working with a few people, they're always looking, you know, towards something that's higher and bigger and better. Which you're happy for them, but then you're ‑‑you know, you kind of start a working relationship and then you have to change.
That's happened a few times, and that's part of the business. It's a learning process.
But, I mean, ever since I got my collection it's been one of the best things I have been able to be a part of, because it's ‑‑ you know, you're not creating just something for yourself. You're creating for a 14‑year‑old girl, you're creating for someone that plays doubles at a club, and everything that you make has to work for them all.
That's the biggest challenge, and creating pieces that are unique to what's out on the market and making sure that the quality is right, that it's done, you know, with the details that you envision from the beginning and that nothing is overseen.
Yeah, so that's been fun, because no one on the tour has had a collection where the other players have been wearing it or that want to wear it. I have been very blessed in that position.

Q. Do you have one single favorite dress?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, definitely.

Q. (Talking over player.)
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Uh‑huh.

Q. Do you like watching old Hepburn movies?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I do, yeah. I haven't watched them in a while, but I like watching classic movies. And to be honest, I haven't really had time to watch any movies. I haven't been in the theater for probably like six, seven months.
I wish I'd have time, but I just ‑‑I really don't.

Q. Can you talk a little bit about your next opponent, another Spaniard? Do you know much about her?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Not much. I don't know much. But I think my coach ‑‑well, I hope my coach was out there watching the end of that one. Yeah, I mean, did she get through the qualifying here? Yeah.
Well, if she has, she's played a lot of matches. Yeah, you know, I kind of played the same similar style opponents in this tournament so far.
And, you know, I don't know too much about her, but I'm sure I will find a couple of videos to look at and to get a good look at myself. Sometimes you don't always believe what the coach says, so... (Laughter.)


Q.What was the first big court you played on? Do you remember the very first time you were on a huge court?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: As far as big, this was the first one. This was my first biggest stadium that I have ever been on.

Q. What was it like the first time you had that experience? What's it like?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, I think for me it was more about ‑‑because this was my first big professional event that I was a part of, and I think it was ‑‑maybe it's the wrong name, but I think it was Samantha Reeves I played against in the first round. I think I won her, and that set up the match to play Monica. It was a big deal for me because I was 15 or so.

Q. Ryan was talking about it last night, to be 20 and have played on so many big courts, and it makes a big difference.
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, it certainly does. You don't know what to expect. I think actually the first round I did play on center against Samantha. And then I was able to win that one, and certainly had no chance at all in the next one. (Smiling).

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
 
#393 ·
Maria also said this about those cryptic messages:

"I was really hoping no one would ask me," Sharapova said of the messages after the match. "There are a few people who know about it and I thought they'd have a good laugh. It's just between me and them and not going past those people."
 
#397 ·
Maria Sharapova is writing cryptic messages on cameras

For reasons that have never been adequately explained, tennis players are asked to sign a camera lens after victories at some tournaments. Most illegibly scrawl their name and it shows up reversed to viewers at home, like when you write on a mirror. Sometimes, players will use the forum to send good vibes to others, like when Andy Murray wrote a message to his cancer-stricken friend. And then there's Maria Sharapova, who has written two cryptic messages after her first two wins at the BNP Paribas Open in California and won't explain them to reporters. Intrigue!
When asked what the messages meant, Sharapova said, "it's kind of a secret," as if she was concealing a Da Vinci Code-like mystery that has ties to the Illuminati, Nick Bollettieri, papal conclave and hidden messages in backhand grunts.
More likely: It's an inside joke between friends.
After her first win, Sharapova wrote "Tweet Me" with a heart scrawled underneath.
That seemed straightforward enough. The Tennis Channel said Sharapova gained 3,000 followers to her 140,000 Twitter fans after she wrote the message. She was building the brand, we guessed.
Then on Sunday, following a tough two-set win over Carla Suarez Navarro, Sharapova went deeper, writing "Who Knows?"
Later that night, she used the question as a hashtag.
"Tweet me?" "Who knows?" It's like Sharapova is stealing her thoughts from a bag of Valentine's Day conversation hearts.
"I was really hoping no one would ask me," Sharapova said of the messages after the match. "There are a few people who know about it and I thought they'd have a good laugh. It's just between me and them and not going past those people."
Maybe we're on to something with the discussion about conversation hearts. Sharapova's candy line, Sugarpova, has transformed her into a sugar baron. The company is set to release three new products over the next month. Could this be guerrilla marketing to hype the upcoming launch of hard candy with sassy messages written on them?
Sharapova's next match is Tuesday. If she wins and writes something like "Let's Skype!" then we'll know for sure.:lol:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/gameon/2013/03/11/maria-sharapova-cryptic-camera-messages/1978119/
 
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