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Maria Sharapova has never concerned herself with winning friends and influencing people. She does not shy away from being a driven young woman. It may well be the reason why there is a certain detached reaction to her victories and why even Australians – a race that embraces diversity in so many areas – greeted her third grand-slam tournament victory a touch apathetically.

Sharapova was asked if she noted that most of those who were applauding the final shot of her straight-sets victory over Ana Ivanovic, of Serbia, did so with bottoms firmly attached to their seats. Did it affect her at all if the crowd did not appear to join in her unabashed glee?

“I honestly don’t even hear it [the lack of support],” she said. “I don’t notice who is cheering for me, or who isn’t. It’s about belief in yourself rather than thinking if people cheer for you or not. Who cares? You go out on court for a reason.

“I think they [the public] respect my game. I don’t think they’d buy a ticket if they didn’t respect what I’ve achieved so far. Ana is an up and comer, she is on the rise and although she is favourite on paper I would still have considered her as an underdog today. The crowds want the underdog to win, especially here in Australia.”

Which is all well and good, if you have a desire to be loved. Sharapova has never been that way inclined, and the antics of Yuri, her father, who is reclusive in every manner apart from when he is in the front row of any tennis stadium in the world, cannot but further engender the sense of antagonism many have towards her. One day she may strike out on her own, but there is no sense that such a cutting of the parental cord will happen any time soon.

“My dad, or my mum, are there to call on when I’m having a tough time,” Sharapova said. “My dad has been travelling with me for years. I’m still just 20 and though I’ve been on the road for so long, I need those people around me, to feel they are close.”