Maria Sharapova wants to be tennis ambassador after sealing Grand Slam

Today the Russian will officially become world No 1 for the first time in four years, and she will do so as the tenth woman to win all four grand slam titles in her career after lifting the French Open trophy on Saturday.

Sharapova defeated Italy’s Sara Errani 6-3, 6-2 to put the icing on the cake of her long road back to the top after ten months out with a shoulder injury in 2008 and 2009.

The women’s game has struggled to match the extraordinary era in the men’s game at the moment, with Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic reaching new heights all the time. But, in Sharapova, the sport has a true global superstar, and someone who cares passionately about what it means to be world No 1.

She said: “I’m just extremely happy to be back at this stage. It means a lot to me personally.

“I’ve played the sport for so long and the sport itself means a lot to me, so my goal is to represent it in the best way possible and to be professional, on and off the court and set a good example, not just for now but a generation that follows after.

“Like Billie Jean King did. Obviously it’s something that’s always on my mind because I feel like, ultimately when you retire, what you put in place now, a whole new generation will follow in your footsteps.”

Sharapova will now take a few days off – four if she has her way, three if she has to give in to coach Thomas Hogstedt – before beginning to practise on grass.

The 25-year-old reached the final of Wimbledon last year, losing to Petra Kvitova, and she knows hers will now be the prized scalp at SW19.

The 2004 champion will be the top seed at the All England Club for the first time, and she said: “It means a lot and I have the next few days to enjoy what I’ve achieved here and then on to the next one.

“Everyone wants to be the grand slam champion at Roland Garros, and everyone wants to beat the number one. When I step out on the court in a few days, I’m going to start working toward improving.

“I love the transition from clay to grass, the first few days are always fun. I can’t wait to get back and get ready for Wimbledon.”

And there is certainly no chance of Sharapova resting on her laurels now she has conquered every surface.

“To keep going, that’s my goal,” she said. “Whether I win or lose, I will retire the day that I wake up and I feel like I don’t believe that I can become a better player. And what I have is not enough. That will be the day I will stop trying to achieve that.”

Errani came into the tournament having only won one match at Roland Garros in her career, and her run to the final was one of the more unexpected grand slam stories for many years.

The 25-year-old Italian will wake up this morning as a top-ten player, but she is already preparing for reality to hit home as she moves onto grass.

Errani said: “I have to just think that it’s not a normal thing for me to make the final of a grand slam. I don’t expect to make the final now in other tournaments.

“I played a good two weeks. It was incredible for me. But I just want to keep doing the same things that I was doing. So normal things. Just practise, and I’ll try to improve every day like I always do. So I have to think that I will lose.”

Left to rue her slow start in Saturday’s showpiece, the Italian added: “I started very bad and, with this player, if you give her some games like this in the beginning, of course she becomes more relaxed. It was very difficult for me to play.

“She played very well. She played at a very consistent level so it was very difficult for me to start the point the way I wanted to play the point.”