**but i'm a supergirl and supergirls don't cry**
Q. You won the last four points on her serve in the tie break. Did it feel good to be back in the middle of things?MARIA SHARAPOVA: Oh, yeah. You know, that's why I'm here. I love the competition. I love those moments, you know. This is what tennis is all about for me.
Q. How tough were the two months off?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Tough in one way. Great in another, because I got to spend some time at home. I've, you know, gotten to appreciate what my life has brought me, has given me. I don't think in my career, obviously, I don't think I've had a more serious injury. But on the other hand, I don't think I've had that much time to actually appreciate the things that life has brought me, you know, the friends around me, you know, my house, you know, where I live. You know, I've just gotten to take it all in. Whereas before, it's always been a week here.
After I had a shot in my shoulder, I had two weeks where I couldn't touch a ball. So it was my friend's birthday, other side of town. I went over there, you know, just did things that I usually don't get to do, and that was great.
Q. There must have been some frustration there because the injury was decent sized, trying to come back and couldn't?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah.
Q. So how difficult was that for you?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, it was a lot of ups and downs, because I would, you know, get back on the court and after Miami, I didn't take the shot right away because I thought that it was just going to be rest that I needed. And, you know, after a while, I took an MRI, and they said, "Look, you've got a pretty serious problem. So you either want to take four to six weeks off," which was definitely not an option, or "You could take the shot which would hopefully speed things up."
So as much as I hate needles, you know, that was really the only way to go.
Is it me or is it so hot in here? I'm sweating profusely.
Q. Definitely you.There was some observations during Australia and a lot of talk about your serve, and you didn't talk about the shoulder, necessarily, but you kind of have had to go back and break it down and build it back up to where you're comfortable. Are you comfortable now physically to hit the shot the way you want to hit it?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I mean, my shoulder is still not where I want it to be. It's still not perfect. At times I still feel it and it's there. But, yeah, that's ‑‑ but like I said, you know, after the first question, it's something that you know, I just ‑‑ I love competing and whatever it takes for me to be here. I have a lot of respect for this tournament, and, you know, I want it to be ‑‑ you know, I wanted to be as ready as I could be. You know, this is what I've come with.
You know, I'm willing to go out there and I'm willing to fight as much as I can. And even without a serve, I'm good enough to win many matches.Q. You may have spoken once before, but what exactly was the problem and what did the shot do for you?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: It was severe tendonitis. I had a lot of inflammation in the bursa. I'm not very familiar with all the terms. It was close to a tear. I don't know how exactly to say it. I forgot the term of it, but it was really close to a tear, my shoulder. The shot was a Cortizone shot, that ‑‑ you know, with that, I had to take a lot of rest because the shoulder was obviously very sore after that. It was a pretty painful shot.
Q. How slow was the court today? It seemed sometimes the ball would actually sort of sit like it was in a puddle and come up after.
MARIA SHARAPOVA: That's a good way to describe it. I like that.
Yeah, definitely it was very slow, but that's something, you know, to be very expected. It's been raining for a few days. Not a lot of us have been able to practice as much. I haven't really practiced on site before today. That was pretty new for me.
But other than that, yeah, I think everyone expects it, you know. When you go into especially the French Open when the conditions are this way, you're playing on clay courts, you know on a daily basis the court is going to play different. So you just have to adjust mentally as well as physically.
Q. You've gotten doctor's clearance to play?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Mm...hmm.
Q. And there's not much risk in doing more damage to your shoulder? I'm just wondering if it doesn't feel 100 percent and it's not where you want it to be, you played so little in the clay season to begin with, why not let it heal up a little bit more and just start on the grass?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Because I have a lot of respect for this tournament. I want to play it. Like I've said from the beginning of the year when people asked me, you know, what was gonna be my next goal, I said the French is probably going to be the most challenging event that I'm going to play in my career.
And I play tennis because I love challenges. I love going out here and I love competing. And as long as the doctors give me an okay, as long as I can, you know, play through the little aches and pains that I get from time on, then I'm okay and I'm willing to do it. I mean, you know, I take the good and the bad. You know, I have absolutely nothing to prove about my career. And, you know, this is just another challenge that I want to have with myself, you know. Because I know inside of me that I can do it. I know it's going to be the toughest thing in my career to win this tournament, but I'm willing to do it.
Q. Is this pressure‑free as you've ever felt coming into a Grand Slam in the past two years?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Pressure? Why?
Q. Pressure‑free.
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Oh, pressure, free. I never really feel the outside pressure, you know. I think sometimes it's more from myself, where I feel like I have to do more. But like I said, I take the good. I take the bad. And I definitely have nothing, absolutely nothing to prove out there.
Q. Roddick yesterday after he lost said that even though it's very difficult for him obviously to play on the surface, the good thing for him is playing on clay teaches him point construction, how to work points.
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Mm...hmm.
Q. It benefits him actually on other surfaces just coming here learning that. Do you feel the same?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Definitely. This is my preparation for Wimbledon, yeah.
Q. There's so few clay courts -- were you in California, I assume?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, yeah.
Q. So few clay courts there, how do you prepare?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: There are a few. They're a couple. They're not as great, but if you can play on that and come here, you're fine.
Q. No approximation of the red clay here, I mean it's pretty scratchy stuff or what?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I find every event in Europe has different clay. You know, some courts are laid on concrete and the sand is poured, and then some places, it's on a softer base and you have a lot of sand. And I mean, Rome, Rome is usually really fast. I mean, I didn't play it this year. Berlin is always really slow.
So it really doesn't matter. I mean, I've found that Chatrier is a lot faster here than the second court. So it really doesn't matter. If you can play on the clay courts in California and think you're fine, then you'll be fine here.
Q. You're playing on Har Tru?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Oh, yeah, they don't know that red clay exists over there, yeah.