Maria Sharapova wanted to test her level against the leading players but found the answer a rather brutal one as she took just four games off a rejuvenated Angelique Kerber in the third round of the Australian Open. Sharapova said she would not shy away from the work needed to try to get back to grand slam-winning level after her 15-month doping ban. To be able to get these matches, players that are playing this well, I’m going to face a lot of them this year. She said: "I was really trying to not think about everything around and everything about the match, against who I’m playing. I was just more trying to go out on a special court for me and playing again good tennis."

Source: Evening echo January 20, 2018 12:00 UTC