Intro:

Maria Sharapova, 27, (RUS) hailed the atmosphere at the French Open after she defeated Ksenia Pervak, 23, (RUS) 6-1 6-2 in the opening round on Monday.

Script:

SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Maria Sharapova beat Ksenia Pervak 6-1 6-2 (Q. I would like to hear your feelings about the match. It was like pretty quick, but I would like to know how you felt on court and everything, please.):

"First matches at Grand Slams are always tough, no matter how prepared you are, no matter how many matches you've played. There is always a bit more tension in that type of Grand Slam atmosphere. It's certainly more special, especially when you walk out on court. Considering all that, I thought I played a solid match, did the things I had to do. Yeah, it's only the beginning right now."