Maria Sharapova admits to 'frustration' following defeat to Naomi Osaka in Indian Wells

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  • Tricky times: For Maria Sharapova.

    Maria Sharapova admits things have been “frustrating” for her since her return from her doping ban last April, with her first round defeat to Naomi Osaka in Indian Wells on Wednesday being the latest setback for the Russian star.

    Sharapova, who lost to Osaka 6-4, 6-4 in one hour and 35 minutes, fought back from a break down in each set but couldn’t stop the 20-year-old Japanese from advancing.

    Physical problems have interrupted Sharapova’s comeback multiple times so far. Her most recent issue has been a forearm injury that forced her to withdraw from Dubai after she lost in the Doha first round to Monica Niculescu.

    Sharapova’s loss to Osaka is her third defeat in a row on tour and takes her win-loss record in 2018 to 5-4.

    “I’ve been working through a few physical things and that’s been frustrating because there’s been a lot of starts and stops since I’ve come back and that hasn’t really given me the type of playing match rhythm that I really wanted,” said the two-time Indian Wells champion on Wednesday night.

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  • “But I felt like I committed today and there are a lot of good things that I can take away.

    “It hasn’t been an easy couple of weeks since Doha, trying to get healthy, but it’s there, I need some time. I’ve done it before. It’s obviously frustrating to lose these types of matches that you get ready for and you want to win but it’s part of the process, I realise that.”

    Sharapova was facing Osaka for the first time and described her as a “rising star”, commending her aggressive game.

    Currently ranked 41 in the world, the five-time Grand Slam champion was one of several dangerous unseeded players in the draw – Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka are also unseeded – and is still making her way back up the rankings

    “I knew that since the comeback, I have to work to get myself to be in a seeding position, to get what they call a better draw, all those things. That takes work, that takes time, I’m not afraid of any of that, I’ve been in those positions before,” assured the 30-year-old Sharapova.

    Asked if she thought she would be farther along in her comeback by now, nearly 11 months into return, Sharapova said: “That’s not how I looked at my comeback. All I know is that this year I’m competing and I’m playing and last year I wasn’t in that position so I have a lot to be grateful for when I walk out through the tunnel and onto that court and I have an incredible amount of fans that watch me play and that I get to play in front of. And that I didn’t have for a long period of time so that’s a big difference.”

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