Maria Sharapova weighs in on the blue courts in Madrid, as well as her current goals.
"We’ve played on red clay for so many years," she told reporters. "I find [the blue clay] different and some parts of court have more clay than others. They are trying to work the kinks out. There are so many things we players have to adjust to, and there are not a lot of things that are consistent. I’d like to see more consistency. I think [the blue clay] is a little more for spectators, TV and more for buzz than anything else. I think it’s more for show than for the players."
The world No. 2 also told Medio Tiempo that world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka has become her biggest rival (Sharapova upended the Belarussian in last week's Stuttgart final after losing to her in the Australian and Miami finals) and discussed both winning her fourth major and returning to the top of the rankings.
"Fortunately I had the opportunity to see how it feels before in those two situations," she said. "I would be very happy if I won more Grand Slams and became No. 1 again and now that I'm close to having that possibility, it’s one of my goals this year, but mostly it’s to play like a true No. 1."