M. Sharapova Interview

The Championships, Wimbledon 2004 - Grand Slam Tennis - Official Site by IBM - News:
"Q. Which of your colleagues are you more close with and can you say why?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: The Russian girls?
Q. Yes. Or other players.
MARIA SHARAPOVA: To tell you the truth, I get along with many of the girls. But this is a tour, and it's a professional sport, and it's very difficult to be friends because you never know, you might be playing them in the next round. Of course, you want to beat them. But I'm pretty good friends with Maria Kirilenko, all the Russian girls I know them well. We always have conversations, we always laugh together. We have very friendly attitudes towards each other. Also, I mean, I really get along with everybody.
Q. Why do you give some kisses to the crowd? Is just a habit? Is because you want to thank them?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yes, because I want to thank them. It's very important because they're the ones that go out, they're fans, they cheer for you, they watch your match and they enjoy the tennis. You just want to give back to them and say, 'Thank you for coming out and thank you for supporting both of us.' I mean it's always good when somebody supports your sport and buys a ticket and goes and watches you. And when you win, you just want to say thank you. "