Sharapova happy to have 'selfish' streak

Maria Sharapova admitted on Saturday that a selfish streak can power her to a first French Open title even if it means spectators may question if they are getting value for money.

The Russian star has reached the last 16 at Roland Garros for the loss of just five games, spending less than three hours on court.

"The last thing that's on my mind when I'm going out on court is thinking about who paid for a ticket and how long they're going to watch my match for," said Sharapova.

"I'm not sure if that's selfish or not, but my job is to go out on the court and to try to win. Whether it's 6-0, 6-0, whether it's a tough three-set match, you're trying to do what you have to do and play as well as you can.

"Things can change. But that's not my goal."

Sharapova (pictured), now the overwhelming favorite to win a first French Open, and complete a career Grand Slam, took just 48 minutes to beat Romania's Alexandra Cadantu in the first round.

She was then delayed by an hour in seeing off Ayumi Morita of Japan for the loss of only two games while China's Peng Shuai just nudged the clock over the 60-minute mark on Saturday before she succumbed 6-2, 6-1.

Sharapova, whose best performance in Paris was making the semifinals in 2011, will next face Czech veteran Klara Zakopalova for a place in the quarterfinals, just a month after defeating the 30-year-old on clay in Madrid.

Meanwhile, the 25-year-old second seed said she was getting used to having her mother, Yelena, with her on tour after being accompanied for so long by father, Yuri, who coached her during her formative years.

"I have someone to fold my laundry," she joked.

"I am so spoiled. She is the best mom, if I was only one percent of the mom that she is. But, yeah, I'm really lucky. She's such a nice influence in my life. Her perspective on things and just in general is really nice to have."

Yuri, meanwhile, is back at home in Florida looking after the family dog and struggling with communication technology.

"He can't text. It's useless. He writes half Russian, half English. The words are all mixed up. I try to Skype with him, and that's a nightmare because he doesn't know like how to answer. It's horrible," said Sharapova.

"But I talk with him every day, mainly just to find out if my dog is still alive."

Agence France-Presse in Paris