Maria Sharapova's Quotes

I'd love to open a tennis school for children in my hometown of Sochi.

I'm an athlete. I go out there and fight my heart out.

I'm focused on going out every day and doing my best.

I'm just a very tough person when I go on the court, and I really don't want to lose.

I'm just like every other girl who likes to shop, likes to look good, likes to spend time with friends.

I'm never standing still and that makes my life pretty exciting.

I'm not the next anyone, I'm the first Maria Sharapova.

If I can create something that allows a woman to feel better - that is the true reward.

If I loved a guy as much as I love my dog, the guy would be in serious trouble. Because I'm all over that dog, all the time.

Music is a part of my life all the time - on the plane, before matches, driving out to the court.

My family and I built my whole career from scratch.

My parents had a normal life in Russia and they could have easily kept living a normal life, working and raising a child in Russia.

Since I was young, the artistic expression that fashion embodies has inspired me. It's a way to communicate oneself.

Since I'm constantly in the sun, I use sunscreen daily.

Sometimes I feel my arm is like a swan's neck - so weak.

Sometimes when you're putting the work in it just seems so, so hard, and you never know when that work's going to pay off.

Tennis has given me this wonderful life and I'm very grateful for it.

The forehands or backhands don't mean much after three hours.

The more matches I play, the more confident I get.

There are days when I go out on the court and I feel like I can't miss a ball.

There's not many firsts in my career, as I have been a part of many tournaments and fortunate enough to win many.

Through my travels, I find inspiration in street style and how young women create their individual looks and identity.

When you are young, you are a little naive.

When you travel so many weeks a year, it's always nice to have a home-cooked meal.

When you're going through tough moments, you never know when you're going to have good moments.

You control your own wins and losses.

I love where I'm from. I don't live there because of the circumstances, but all my family is there. It's what's inside, it's not what's outside that determines the culture and the feeling.

I'm an afternoon tea type of girl. I come from a Russian background where we love our teas. So between lunch and dinner after training I come home and I love a nice cup of tea with jam in it, as we drink it there. Black English Breakfast with raspberry jam is my favorite.

When I travel, I love speaking to women around the world about the things that inspire them, the fashions they like, what makes something good and what would make it even better.

I have a very big sweet tooth and I love treating myself to something that I wouldn't necessarily eat during the tournament such as a nice-sized cake.

I have always had an interest in fashion and design and I appreciate style and timelessness within my footwear and accessories both on and off the court.

I've been playing against older and stronger competition my whole life. It has made me a better tennis player and able to play against this kind of level despite their strength and experience.

If I'm nervous, it means I had to work hard to get there, whether it's playing in a tournament or speaking at an event. So I try to stop and be proud of getting to live in that moment.

After being on the court for six hours, being on TV is very glamorous and fun for me. But tennis is always going to be my priority. It's not going to be this thing when all of a sudden TV will get in the way of that.

I always have a Sharpie, because usually when someone asks me for an autograph, they don't have a pen. I carry one in my purse, as well as in my tennis bag.

I don't need many things. I don't need glamour and attention to be happy. I'm very happy being settled and working my butt off and trying to win grand slams.

I heard endless conversations between my parents when I was going to sleep about how we would survive, how we would continue. All of them were about trying to make me better.

I love getting consumer reports. I think it's one of my favourite things, studying what people have to say about the product and then trying to make it better.

I love jotting down ideas for my blog, so I doodle or take notes on all kinds of stuff that inspires me: the people I meet, boutiques I visit, a florist that just gave me a great idea for an interior-design project, things like that.

I love playing for my country, getting the support. Especially for the kids and everybody, showing my example of what I can achieve so early. And maybe they can achieve it, too, just to get that in their minds.

I spent a whole year when I was injured just trying to get my arm back to the point where I could hit a tennis ball for more than 30 minutes a day. I'd hit for 15 minutes and it would feel as if my arm was going to fall off.

I try not to hit a swing volley and run back. So my swing volley is kind of that transition to the net. It's been one of my favorite shots ever since I was young.

I've been very competitive by nature from a young age, whether it was eating a bowl of pasta faster than somebody else, or always wanting to be the first one in line.

Of course, everyone knows my story of being born in Russia and moving to the United States at 7. For a few years people would say, 'Well, she's living in the United States, but she's Russian.'

To be honest, everything in my life outside of tennis is great. I'm doing amazing projects that, if I didn't have time off, I wouldn't be able to focus on.

When I'm down or maybe when it's close in the match, I feel like I'm still in it. I don't feel like I'm letting down. Mentally, I'm still really, really tough.

Whenever I have friends over, we end up eating and talking and losing track of time, and, once in a while, singing karaoke. It reminds me of the family meals we had in Russia, which always lasted a very long time. That's a tradition I miss.

It's easy to impress me. I don't need a fancy party to be happy. Just good friends, good food, and good laughs. I'm happy. I'm satisfied. I'm content.

I can't please everyone. That's not in my J.D., you know, not in my job description.

When you look good, you feel good. Confidence with what you're wearing is very important. If you feel good, you will always perform your best without worrying about anything.

When I make a commitment I stick to it.

When I need to push myself, I think of all those nicely polished trophies waiting to be lifted up by the winner - and how that winner might be me.

I'm always that annoying person that pulls out the camera in the middle of dinner and starts taking candids.

If you're able to help some people and make them smile and make them realize that life is good, then that's worth so much more than buying a pair of shoes.

A great tennis career is something that a 15-year-old normally doesn't have. I hope my example helps other teens believe they can accomplish things they never thought possible.

I don't follow other players or the tournaments they play. I have my own schedule and do my own thing. I never really think, 'Oh, I want to be or play like so-and-so.' I just like being myself.

I love street style, seeing how girls wear pieces and how their pair accessories with their outfit. How they pair shoes with a bag and go to day to night and change things up.

I'm not a huge gym person, so I try to stay away from the gym. But I love to run on the beach or go for a walk. It's better than riding a stationary bike.

I love to eat, and if I could, I'd eat every second of my life.

My main goal is to stay healthy because when you're injured you realise how lucky you are to have your health.

I still love things that you don't even need to pay for. Going to the beach and being around five of your friends and having a good time means so much more than going out and spending hundreds of dollars.

Without my dad, I wouldn't be here.

It's strange for my friends when they see me on TV and in magazines, because the person that they see doing interviews and pictures on the red carpet is not the person that they know.

I hit a ball for a living, but I have that passion to keep learning.

I want to be different. If everyone is wearing black, I want to be wearing red.

I'm always on the go. I love doing things until I hit rock bottom. Then I need my 12 hours of sleep, and I'm on the go again.

No matter what you study, the thing that you know best is what you grew up with.

Well, fans always root for the underdog.

You have your bad moments in your career and your good moments. And it's been a good ride so far, but it's not over yet.

It's always tough when you lose - you've worked so hard for that moment and it hasn't gone the way you wanted. But you have to realise there's always a bright side, you have to pick yourself up and get ready for the next game.

I know my roots and I cannot forget the journey I made.

There are so many roads you can take that will lead you the wrong way, that nobody will hear your name.