Maria Sharapova is creeping back to No. 1, but more satisfied with the fact that she was nearly knocked out of the Top 10 but has held her ground. (In 2014, she was ranked No. 9 in April and parts of May.)
The World No. 2 won the Brisbane International tournament by overcoming Ana Ivanovic in three sets, 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-3. According to the WTA, Sharapova is now 681 points behind current No. 1 Serena Williams and could move ahead of Williams at the Australian Open.
"It was nice in the off‑season not having to hear anything about rankings," Sharapova said. "I think that's just a question that comes up throughout the year.
"It's a nice thing to write about, and it gives people a topic to write about. But maybe if I was a teenager or someone that was just looking to kind of break through and be No. 1 for the first time maybe I would be more upbeat about it," she said. "But I'm happy with the way this week went... The goal is to win as many matches as you can. That gives you a greater opportunity to get to that ranking. Looking back, now that I won a tournament maybe I have a better chance of going higher in the ranking."
The Russian said she looked at the rankings as a product of her performances. "Right now I am No. 2; the next spot is [No.] 1," Sharapova said. "But that's how it is. Middle of last year people were talking about how I was barely in the Top 10 for I think four months. With any match I could have lost, could have been out of the Top 10. But I held my ground and I pulled through with grit and fight, and managed to finish the year off No. 2. That's not something I talked about with my team or myself. It was just focusing on matches."