Maria Sharapova said she had a better perspective on her career after returning to Grand Slam tennis with a win over Belarus's Anastasiya Yakimova in the French Open first round in Paris on Monday.
The Russian former world number one was playing in her first Grand Slam match since a second-round loss to compatriot Alla Kudryatseva at last year's Wimbledon before spending almost 10 months on the sidelines with a shoulder injury.
"I started pretty lousy and even though I was up a break, I wasn't doing the right things and I was letting her play well," Sharapova said after fighting back from a set down to win 3-6, 6-1, 6-2.
"I was playing sloppy but I turned it around. I started playing better and more aggressively."
Asked what she had learnt during her lengthy lay-off from the sport, she replied that she had become more reflective.
"For the first time in my life I couldn't practise for such a long period of time, three months or something.
"Everything about it was bizarre, like something had been taken away from your life. After going through this long process I think I'll treat losses less emotionally. I'll have more perspective on those things," she said.
{{/usCountry}}"Everything about it was bizarre, like something had been taken away from your life. After going through this long process I think I'll treat losses less emotionally. I'll have more perspective on those things," she said.
{{/usCountry}}Sharapova also said that, were it not for her famed battling spirit, she might never have returned to competitive action.