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Masha, speaking to the press on Tuesday, who got a walk over in her first match and is yet to start her adventure in Rome, has said that the ‘secret’ behind her astonishing achievements in the tennis season’13 is ‘hard graft’. Masha has made it to the finals in all the tournaments she has played in this year. According to the Russian player, her continuous switch from hard courts to clay courts can be attributed to the hours of practice she puts into the sport.
Sharapova says, “There are no excuses, from the beginning and the first few days of practice are different and you are moving around to positions that your not used to doing for the past six-seven months.”
“But nothing is easy in this sport and you just have to adjust and some days some things are lacking and every day little things pop up from match to match and its no easy ride.”
“I usually start training in Indian Wells – Palm Springs a few weeks before the tournament and after the tournament I take a few days off and train until after Wimbledon so I suppose the preparation is about two and a half weeks.”
The defending champion, who will face Garbine Muguruza on Wednesday, for the second round of Rome Masters, is aiming to retain her title for the third time in a row at Rome Masters but rival Serena Williams awaits her, on her way to success.
Masha has defeated Serena only twice but not once since the US Open 2004 – a farcically long time, therefore Serena is a threat to Masha being able to retain the title.
Sharapova, who lost to Serena on Sunday, in the Madrid Masters final, says, “My preparation so far pretty good. I had a great final and so I have had a really solid week and I’d have loved to win it but at least I’ve played few matches on clay.”
“This is one of the few events that I’ve won a couple of times and its meaningful for me and its feels great to be out on the court with the support I receive here on this court. I’ve been playing here since I was a junior and it’s great the enthusiasm that I have received from the public.”
