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Sharapova jetted into Australia from Los Angeles on Thursday as the top-seed for the year-opening tournament which gives her a big opportunity to close the gap on long-time nemesis Serena Williams.
Williams, who toppled the Russian in last year’s Brisbane final, among 15 straight wins over her, has instead opted to play Hopman Cup in Perth and will forego defending the tournament’s 750 ranking points.
A Sharapova triumph will cut the margin to 685 and also boost her confidence leading into the Australian Open where she has more ranking points available after a fourth-round finish last year.
But the five-time grand slam champion said she was more interested playing to her potential than making it back to the top of the WTA rankings for the sixth time.
“I just want to focus on matches and competing well and being the best player out there,” the 27-year-old told reporters.
“I want to start the year well. It’s nice to come back to Brisbane. It was my first time playing here last year.”
While favourite for the Evonne Goolagong Cawley Trophy, Sharapova faces stiff opposition from a field that features four women in the top 10 and eight in the top 20, not to forget dangerous unseeded pair Sam Stosur and Victoria Azarenka.
Rounding out Brisbane’s top four seeds are crowd favourite Ana Ivanovic, Angelique Kerber and Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova who upset Sharapova last year at Melbourne Park.
“I think it’s one of the best tournaments, a tough field, it’s great preparation for all of us, I think that’s why so many of us love coming here,” Sharapova said.
German world No.9 Kerber also flew in on Thursday and set her 2015 sights on closing out tournaments after finishing as runner-up four times last year, including Sydney.
“I lost four finals last year so I hope I can win one final at least this year,” she said. “That is my goal for sure.”
Nadal gearing up for Aust OpenSpanish tennis star Rafael Nadal, the world No 3, says his goal is to “get the feeling” back at the start of the 2015 season, but he acknowledges he might not be “100%” in terms of his physical and tennis capabilities.
Nadal is playing in the January 1-3 Mubadala World Tennis Championship, an exhibition event in Abu Dhabi that will also feature Serbian world No 1 Novak Djokovic, Britain’s Andy Murray and Spaniards Nicolas Almagro and Feliciano Lopez.
The 28-year-old Nadal will then defend his title in Doha before heading off to the Australian Open, the year’s first grand slam event, where he said he hoped to “arrive in good shape.”
“From the Australian Open, going through the South American swing and heading into Roland Garros is the hardest part of the season for me, and that’s where I need to be at 100%,” Nadal said on Wednesday.
“Playing against high-calibre tennis players” will help in “regaining the feel” for the game following wrist and back problems, and appendicitis last season, Nadal said.
Nadal underwent an appendectomy on 3 November in Barcelona.
The 14-time Grand Slam champion was diagnosed with appendicitis prior to the start of the Shanghai Masters, where he lost to countryman Feliciano Lopez in his opening match.
Nadal was upset on 24 October in the quarterfinals of the Swiss Indoors by Croatian teenager Borna Coric and said after the match that he would undergo an appendectomy and not play in any more tournaments in the 2014 season.
The Spaniard pulled out of the Paris Masters and the elite, eight-man Barclays ATP World Tour Finals played 9-16 November in London.
The world No. 3 plans to compete in the Copa Claro tournament in Buenos Aires scheduled for 21 February-1 March.
Nadal missed the tournament in Buenos Aires this year due to a back injury and will be playing in the Argentine capital for only the second time.
The Spaniard missed the entire North American hard-court season, including the US Open, because of a wrist injury.
Nadal resumed practicing in the first week of December in his hometown of Manacor on the Balearic Island of Mallorca.
“Injuries have been part of my career, so I have to start off cautiously and the first two weeks of the season will help me to regain the physical and tennis feel, and the rhythm” needed on court, Nadal said. |
