Happy to be back
Sharapova breezes into second round
BACK in action at Melbourne Park for the first time since serving a 15-month doping ban, former world No.1 Maria Sharapova insists she has no regrets.
The 30-year-old Russian raised her arms in triumph and accepted the plaudits of the big crowd at Margaret Court Arena after ousting Germany’s Tatjana Maria 6-1, 6-4 in the opening round of the Australian Open yesterday.
“I get shivers,” said Sharapova. It means a lot to me.
“I cherish these moments.” Sharapova was suspended after returning a positive test for Meldonium at the 2016 Australian Open.
She returned to the tour midway through 2017 and entered the first grand slam tournament of the year unseeded and with a world ranking of 48.
“I made a choice by coming back and by playing again,” she said.
“With that choice I know that I face difficulties and challenges on the court and that I start from no ranking and that I might start on some outside courts.
“I understand that and that’s part of the process and I’m here to work through that.
“I learned what it feels like to be on the ground and seeing life from the ground, and I’m not shy, I’m not shying away from any part of that.”
Tournament organisers and the Seven Network were both criticised after feting the Russian at the tournament draw last week, making no mention of her doping infraction.
Sharapova, whose five major crowns include the 2008 Australian title, has spent the past week in Melbourne adjusting to the conditions.
“I feel like I have got a lot of things out of the way physically and emotionally and mentally last year,” she said after advancing to a second-round clash against either No.14 seed Anastasija Sevastova from Latvia or American Varvara Lepchenko.
“There were a lot of firsts again for me — playing the first tournament, first grand slam … But it felt pretty routine today and I’m just really happy to be back.