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

I’m not the next anyone, I’m the first Maria Sharapova

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.

I hit a shot. I turned away. The next thing I know, the crowd went silent, and I turned around and she's on the ground. I feel terrible for her.

I was moving quite well in the first set and then second set I felt a little sloppy, ... You know, played a sloppy game at 4-2 serving with the wind, made a few easy errors. But other than that, came back strong. She hits pretty flat, so it was a little different compared to the other opponents I played in previous matches.

When people tell you who they are, Maya Angelou famously advised, believe them. Just as importantly, however, when people try to tell you who you are, don’t believe them. You are the only custodian of your own integrity, and the assumptions made by those that misunderstand who you are and what you stand for reveal a great deal about them and absolutely nothing about you.