Sharapova ready for French Open defence
Maria Sharapova is ready for the French Open after seeing her form return on clay during her victory at the Internazionali d'Italia.
Maria Sharapova is ready for her French Open defence after a confidence-restoring victory in the Internazionali d'Italia final.
After a shaky start to the clay-court season in Stuttgart, Sharapova has won eight of her nine matches on the surface, culminating in Sunday's win over Carla Suarez Navarro.
The Russian needed to be patient in the Italian capital after losing the opening set, but she fought back to win 4-6 7-5 6-1.
Next up is Roland Garros and the defending champion goes into the second grand slam of 2015 full of confidence.
"Well, there is a difference between how I felt in Stuttgart and how I feel now," Sharapova said.
"I feel a lot stronger mentally and physically, with the confidence to patiently play a long match.
"I know I've improved a lot on clay, now I feel a better.
"It wasn't an overnight success for sure. It was a lot of work, physical and mental to get to this stage.
"If I had played with Carla six years ago a game like today would go without question in a different way."