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Sharapova's an American girl now
Maria Sharapova may have been born in the USSR but she's an all-American girl now planning an all-out assault on the French Open title after reaching the quarter-finals on Sunday.
Russian teenager Maria Sharapova may have been born in the USSR but she's an all-American girl now planning an all-out assault on the French Open title after reaching the quarter-finals on Sunday.
The blonde teenager swept past Germany's Marlene Weingartner 6-3, 6-1 to make the last eight in only her second Roland Garros appearance and then admitted she has spent so much time in the United States, that she feels like a native.
"I feel a lot safer in America than I would be going back to Russia," said the 17-year-old who left behind her impoverished upbringing in Sochi when she was nine to train at the Bolleteri Academy in Florida.
That is now her home unlike compatriots Elena Dementieva, Anastasia Myskina and Svetlana Kuznetsova who all still live in Russia.
"I was raised in Russia, I feel like I am going back home, I am comfortable there because that is where I was born. But I don't think I would want to live there. Life is just so very different after being in the US for so long.
"I feel like things are more make-believe in the United States and more exaggerated. When I am back in Russia, everything is small, everything's real. It's like going back to reality."
Despite her fondness for the United States, Sharapova insists her relationship with the other Russian players is good.
"I always talk with them. Even when I beat Vera (Zvonareva) in the second round, we were talking after the match.
"Off court we are friends, but on the court it's a totally different story because we want to beat each other.
"We are not going out to hate one another for some reason. We are still very young and we are going to be doing this for many years to come. So it's better to get to know each other now."
Sharapova, the 18th seed and constantly in the focus of press photographers with her flowing mane of blonde hair and statuesque build, faces either 14th seeded Argentinian Paola Suarez or China's Zheng Jie for a place in the semi-finals.
She will fancy her chances of making the last four from a top half of the draw which has already lost defending champion and top seed Justine Henin-Hardenne.
She is gaining in confidence with each match having exceeded her previous best Grand Slam performance, a fourth round at Wimbledon last year.
"Nothing is out of my reach," said the 17-year-old.
"Every tournament I come into I want to win and I know I can do that with the way I have been playing this past week. I have been feeling very good and very confident.
"I have nothing to lose."
