Maria Sharapova says it took her a long time to get used to hitting drop shops. The world No. 2 hit a couple drop-shot winners in her straight-sets win over Victoria Azarenka in the third round of Indian Wells. Asked how long it took her to get proficient with the shot, Sharapova said with a laugh, "24 years, I'm serious. ”
"I don't think [my former coach] Robert Lansdorp really knew what a drop shot was. I think it's something you incorporate little by little, but you have to gain the confidence," the 27-year-old said. "I was hitting tons of balls out of the baskets and just drilling, and always finding a groove and rhythm and kind of having the feeling of closing my eyes and hitting the ball. I never worked a lot on drop shots. I never worked too much on slices. These are little things that I think I have incorporated much more in my game."
Sharapova also said that her current coach, Sven Groenefeld, has pushed her to incorporate new tactics that she never used before. The five-time Grand Slam champion also said that she is using her volleys more recently. Up until the last few years, Sharapova rarely came up to the net.
"I think volleys, [the] backhand volley was always a little bit tough for me after the shoulder operation [in 2008], because that was one of the toughest shots for me to hit after surgery,” she said.
"That's taken a while, but with the few years that I have had, I feel much stronger on that shot. Confidence-wise, mentally I know I can come to the net and I'm not afraid," Sharapova said. "Before I was afraid to go out for that one-handed backhand because I was afraid I would re-injure something again, but now I have the confidence in moving forward and not thinking twice."