Sharapova 'still can't believe' Wimbledon triumph

Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova has labelled the last year "amazing" as she launches the preparations for the defence of her title.

The 18-year-old starts the countdown to her return to Wimbledon in Birmingham this week when she will be seeking to retain the DFS title she won at the Edgbaston Priory 12 months ago.

It was the form she showed at The Priory that sparked her Wimbledon triumph and Sharapova said: "It has been a pretty amazing year.

"I look at what has happened and I can't quite believe it. But it is real, the statistics are there to prove it, and I have to keep moving on, appreciate everything and try to improve."

While she may still be basking in the glow of events 12 months ago, Sharapova also has a steely determination to ensure she retains her Wimbledon crown.

She believes she is most at home on grass and added: "It is the best tournament in the world.

"It just gives you that extra-special feeling and I want to win it as many times as I can."

Despite the success at Wimbledon which has made her one of the most recognisable faces in the world, Sharapova shows a maturity beyond her teenage years.

She has taken the sudden rise to stardom in her stride and, despite the rewards the sport has given her, claims tennis is not the most important thing in her life.

She said: "I don't consider it my life. If I was not enjoying it I would not be here.

"It is my career and I enjoy it but a lot of other things are more important to me than tennis.

"It is my job but it is not my life. Health and family are the most important things in my life.

"Being able to have your mum and dad supporting you is important as well as your health and with that comes happiness.

"It is really not about tennis or money. It is about the people around you."

Sharapova has also come to accept that she cannot go anywhere in the world now without being recognised.

"Being recognised wherever I go is something I have had to get used to," admitted the Russian-born Sharapova.

"It is part of my life now. I can't change it. But I realise if I was not winning people would not recognise me and would not be writing about me.

"When you are not being written about you know you are in trouble."

Her feet are firmly on the ground, to such an extent that she is still continuing her education to ensure she graduates from high school in America.

She said: "It takes up a lot of time. I have five more credits to get until I finish high school. Right now I am only doing mathematics and I have a deadline to finish it."

Sharapova also knows just how lucky she is to be travelling the world following her humble beginnings in Russia.

She had time on her hands in Paris after being knocked out of the French Open at the quarter-final stage by Justin Henin-Hardenne and took the chance to tour the shops and sights of the French capital as any normal teenager would do.

Sharapova said: "It was fun. I had a free day in Paris so I went to some boutiques. I love designer shops.

"Then I went to the Louvre. I wanted to see the old Italian and Spanish paintings and the Mona Lisa. I went there about four years ago and I wanted to go again.

"I drank hot chocolate at Angelo's, which is the most amazing hot chocolate in the world, and after that had a really nice dinner. It was fun being a tourist in Paris.

"It is amazing to be able to visit these places. Not many people in the world have an opportunity to travel.

"Most of the time when you are playing you don't get a chance to see the places where you are. But when you lose you find a day for some retail therapy and cultural therapy to take the worries away."

Sharapova has a bye in the first round at the DFS and will face either Tatiana Perebiynis of the Ukraine or Anne Kremer of Luxembourg when she launches her campaign in the second round on Tuesday.