MELBOURNE, Australia – Maria Sharapova's boyfriend described the five-time major winner as a great fighter, which he meant as a compliment.
One of tennis' power couples, Sharapova and No. 10 Grigor Dimitrov are discreet about their relationship but the up-and-coming Bulgarian star offered an opinion on what makes her such a tough player.
"You can't name one thing in particular with her," said Dimitrov, a Wimbledon semifinalist. "I think she's been fighting throughout all those years, through everything that is in her way, jumped all the hurdles and all the obstacles."
"By far the greatest fighter ever," he said.
Sharapova showed her grit in a narrow escape Wednesday, saving two match points before beating Alexandra Panova in their second-round match.
"Days like that define who you are," said Dimitrov, who also advanced to the third round Wednesday.
By Jocelyn Gecker -- http://twitter.com/jgecker
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TENNIS ON YOUTUBE: When Maria Sharapova needs some intel on an unfamiliar opponent, she turns to YouTube.
"Especially if I'm unfamiliar with a girl I'm facing," the No. 2-ranked Sharapova said. "I don't watch too much. But, yeah, it's nice to have."
However, she's not as partial to watching videos of herself.
"I really dislike doing that," Sharapova said. "But it's quite educational, at least that's what the coaches tell me."
Seeing herself on video can offer insights to her game that she might not have realized. But after her performance Wednesday, which included 51 unforced errors, Sharapova said her focus for the next round will not be her opponent.
"After today's match, I really just want to focus on what I have to do."
By Jocelyn Gecker -- http://twitter.com/jgecker
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GETTING MARRIED: Tomas Berdych popped the question at the beach. And his now-fiancee, Czech model Ester Satorova, has tweeted a picture of the ring.
The couple announced their engagement at the Australian Open, where the 29-year-old Berdych advanced to the third round Wednesday and said he had proposed during a holiday late last year.
"It was simple," said the No. 7-ranked Berdych, when asked for details about the proposal. "It was after dinner on the beach."
His fiancee offered a bit more color.
"Our secret from last year holiday is OUT," she tweeted, with the hashtags "Maldives" and "engagement ring." She attached a picture of her hand inside a heart etched in white sand, a large diamond on her ring finger.
The ATP said in a statement announcing the engagement that the couple started dating in late 2012.
Berdych, a 2010 Wimbledon finalist, said he feels a good balance between his personal life and tennis career.
"I can talk with my partner about basically everything.... I can just completely switch off from the tennis," he said. "Then once you step back on the tennis side, then you are absolutely focused (on) whatever you do... so for me, I think it's a great combination."
By Jocelyn Gecker -- http://twitter.com/jgecker
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LOCAL VILLAIN: Australian fans have good reason to cheer against Andy Murray — he has a perfect 10-0 record against Aussie players.
His latest victory was Wednesday in the second round at the Australian Open, beating Marinko Matosevic of Australia 6-1, 6-3, 6-2.
Australian fans can often be rowdy — Matosevic's first-round opponent, Alexander Kudryavtsev, went so far as to call them "animals" — but Murray didn't think the crowd was overly partisan in his match.
"It was a fun atmosphere to play today. Even if not everyone was supporting me," he said, laughing.
As for his unblemished record against Aussies, the three-time Australian Open finalist was at a loss to explain it.
"I love Aussies. I get on well with a lot of the players from Australia," the Scottish star said.
"Sometimes it's just luck. I'm sure in the next few years, with the players the Aussies have coming through ... I won't be able to hold onto that record much longer."
By Justin Bergman -- https://twitter.com/justinb3rg
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