Harriet Dart feels excited about facing her childhood idol Maria Sharapova in the Australian Open first round on Monday on the Rod Laver Arena. Dart went through the qualifying draw and she looks forward to compete against the Russian legend.
“I looked up to [Sharapova] growing up", Dart said as quoted by The Guardian. 'She always looked so nice when she was playing, and also the way she holds herself on the court, her presence. She has been so successful in the game.
I was pretty young when she first won Wimbledon. It will be pretty cool to play her." Dart also felt she was coming from a great 2018, which gave her a confidence boost heading into the Australian Open: "Last year I had a really good season.
I started with a new coach [Goran Marijan]. I was training abroad in Turkey for a year and a bit. This year, we decided to go back to the UK because my coach is full-time with me. We have been working on my game, trying to improve things 5-10%.
That makes a big difference when you put it all together. I have been happy I have stuck with it and implemented it in matches. I am getting results for the hard work. Goran is an Aussie of Croatian background. We were based in Istanbul but now in London.
Istanbul is a cool city. ” ALSO READ: Rafael Nadal: Worse players than David Ferrer won a Grand Slam title