Maria Sharapova recalls 2004 WTA Finals win over Serena Williams
In one of her press conferences, Maria Sharapova recalled her 2004 WTA Finals win over Serena Williams. The Russian player was just 17 years old and had just won her maiden Grand Slam title at Wimbledon. 'Well, first I couldn't believe that I was part of a field at that point in my career,' admitted Sharapova. 'Yeah, I was in Los Angeles where I had been training with Robert for so many years. It felt like a home tournament in a way for me. I remember the players. It was of course a very tough field as always. Just going through the draw there and the way that I felt and the way I played, I've seen some clips as well, very inspiring.'
Sharapova played the longest final in the history of the Championships against Justine Henin in 2007. What does she remember about that match? 'I remember being incredibly upset after that final. It was one of the few times where I think it took me quite a long time to get to the press conference because I was really upset. I was talking with my coach and my father at the time. I really fell like I just wanted to win that match so much, because it was just one of the most physical matches I've ever played. Yeah, had a really tough rivalry with Justine in the beginning of my career. Never felt I had many chances against her because of here style of game. Little by little I felt that I improved so much playing against her. That was really kind of a bit of a turning point. That match really inspired me for the Australian Open when I faced against her and I won pretty convincingly.'
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