Sharapova upbeat ahead of Russia's Fed Cup final against Czech Republic

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  • Forward thinking: Maria Sharapova.

    Maria Sharapova is a veteran of the tour and is wrapping up her 15th season as a professional yet in less than two weeks’ time she will get to experience something she has never gone through before – playing a Fed Cup final.

    Sharapova will be leading the Russian team against the Czechs in Prague on November 14-15 looking to scoop the Fed Cup trophy for the first time in her career.

    The world No4 has only ever played four Fed Cup ties but helped Russia beat Poland 4-0 in the quarter-finals earlier this year.

    In Prague, she will have a chance to avenge her WTA Finals semi-finals loss to Petra Kvitova in Singapore in what will be a blockbuster showdown at the O2 Arena.

    Sharapova will not only take on Kvitova, but the Czech home crowd. Asked if that is an atmosphere she feels she thrives upon and is looking forward to, the five-time grand slam champion said: “I am, but it's something I've never been a part of before, so I don't really know what to expect. 

    “I was really proud of how the team came through in Germany, because I knew they were the underdogs coming into that match. I felt like last minute I couldn't play, so that was disappointing, so I'm really glad that I have another chance to compete and be part of the team. I had a really terrific experience in Poland with everyone.

    Yeah, 'Nastia (team captain Anastasia Myskina) was a really great team leader and I'm excited to be a part of it again.

    “I don't know what to expect. I know it's going to be much more difficult than the first time around, but it's never easy playing away and never easy being in the final as well. I just look forward to the experience. Something new for me.”

    The surface at the O2 is going to be much faster than the one in Singapore, a fact that could be in Kvitova’s favour, considering the huge-serving Czech grew up playing on fast courts.

    “I played an exhibition there, randomly enough, and it was quite fast,” recalls Sharapova. “Yeah, look, I like playing indoors on fast surfaces. I know the girls have played a lot of matches on that court, so of course that's a big benefit their side. But when you're in this situation, I think there is a reason why we play the matches. It's to see the results and be part of it.”

    Despite losing in the semi-finals in Singapore, Sharapova, who didn’t play a completed match between Wimbledon and the WTA Finals due to injuries, was happy with her week at the year-end championships, calling it a “breakthrough”.

    “I have to take the positives out of this week. I guess these are the types of little breakthroughs that you look for. I would say it is for me because I just haven't been competing in a long time. As tough as it is to lose today (to Kvitova), it's definitely a positive that I came here, I competed, I won three matches, and, yeah, got to look forward to next year,” said the 28-year-old. 

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