Well, fans always root for the underdog.

Well, fans always root for the underdog.

I'm just like every other girl who likes to shop, likes to look good, likes to spend time with friends.

A great tennis career is something that a 15-year-old normally doesn't have. I hope my example helps other teens believe they can accomplish things they never thought possible.

I've been playing against older and stronger competition my whole life. It has made me a better tennis player and able to play against this kind of level despite their strength and experience.

I'm not the next anyone, I'm the first Maria Sharapova.

Sometimes I feel my arm is like a swan's neck - so weak.

I don't follow other players or the tournaments they play. I have my own schedule and do my own thing. I never really think, 'Oh, I want to be or play like so-and-so.' I just like being myself.

I learned there's a big difference between juniors and the pros.

After being on the court for six hours, being on TV is very glamorous and fun for me. But tennis is always going to be my priority. It's not going to be this thing when all of a sudden TV will get in the way of that.

As an individual, I take every match seriously, no matter who I'm going to play.

I always have a Sharpie, because usually when someone asks me for an autograph, they don't have a pen. I carry one in my purse, as well as in my tennis bag.

I can't please everyone. That's not in my J.D., you know, not in my job description.

I definitely feel Russian inside, even when I'm in America I feel Russian.

I don't need many things. I don't need glamour and attention to be happy. I'm very happy being settled and working my butt off and trying to win grand slams.

I don't spend a lot of my time in the locker room. That's my least favourite place in the world.

I have a very big sweet tooth and I love treating myself to something that I wouldn't necessarily eat during the tournament such as a nice-sized cake.

I have always had an interest in fashion and design and I appreciate style and timelessness within my footwear and accessories both on and off the court.

I have had lots of luck in my career but there has also been a lot of hard work.

I heard endless conversations between my parents when I was going to sleep about how we would survive, how we would continue. All of them were about trying to make me better.

I help design my own tennis clothes.

I hit a ball for a living, but I have that passion to keep learning.

I know my roots and I cannot forget the journey I made.

I love competing.

I love jotting down ideas for my blog, so I doodle or take notes on all kinds of stuff that inspires me: the people I meet, boutiques I visit, a florist that just gave me a great idea for an interior-design project, things like that.

I love street style, seeing how girls wear pieces and how their pair accessories with their outfit. How they pair shoes with a bag and go to day to night and change things up.

I love to eat, and if I could, I'd eat every second of my life.

I love what I do and I love being an athlete, but I also love all the things that have come with it.

I spent a whole year when I was injured just trying to get my arm back to the point where I could hit a tennis ball for more than 30 minutes a day. I'd hit for 15 minutes and it would feel as if my arm was going to fall off.

I still love things that you don't even need to pay for. Going to the beach and being around five of your friends and having a good time means so much more than going out and spending hundreds of dollars.

I think it's so cool to be tall. Even when I'm not wearing heels people tell me I'm tall and I always take it as a complement. The good thing is I can always see everybody in the room.

I think when you know what you are going to wear, it fits and it's great material, then you feel confident in it.

I try not to hit a swing volley and run back. So my swing volley is kind of that transition to the net. It's been one of my favorite shots ever since I was young.

I want my handbags and my shoes to be stylish but I want to make sure that they're versatile. I travel and I have to make sure the pieces I put into my bag can go with a dress or with shorts or jeans.

I want my tennis to speak for everything.

I want to be different. If everyone is wearing black, I want to be wearing red.

I'd love to open a tennis school for children in my hometown of Sochi.

I'm always on the go. I love doing things until I hit rock bottom. Then I need my 12 hours of sleep, and I'm on the go again.

I'm always that annoying person that pulls out the camera in the middle of dinner and starts taking candids.

I'm an afternoon tea type of girl. I come from a Russian background where we love our teas. So between lunch and dinner after training I come home and I love a nice cup of tea with jam in it, as we drink it there. Black English Breakfast with raspberry jam is my favorite.

I'm an athlete. I go out there and fight my heart out.

I'm focused on going out every day and doing my best.

I'm just a very tough person when I go on the court, and I really don't want to lose.

I'm never standing still and that makes my life pretty exciting.

I'm not a huge gym person, so I try to stay away from the gym. But I love to run on the beach or go for a walk. It's better than riding a stationary bike.

I've been very competitive by nature from a young age, whether it was eating a bowl of pasta faster than somebody else, or always wanting to be the first one in line.

If I can create something that allows a woman to feel better - that is the true reward.

If I loved a guy as much as I love my dog, the guy would be in serious trouble. Because I'm all over that dog, all the time.

If I'm nervous, it means I had to work hard to get there, whether it's playing in a tournament or speaking at an event. So I try to stop and be proud of getting to live in that moment.