Maria Sharapova has insisted that she cannot afford to become complacent in the early rounds of the Australian Open.
The Russian recorded a comfortable victory over Petra Martic in the first round as six seeds crashed out on the opening day, and she believes that it would be foolish to look too far ahead.
"I think especially from the media and the press side, you always talk about the matchups, the draw, as in the future opponents. Realistically it's important to focus on what's ahead you. You can't look further than your next opponent," Sharapova told reporters.
"I think we all take that extremely serious. You never know what you're going to get. You get really inspired opponents that are not seeded in the first round or that are coming from qualifying, and everyone's eager to do well in this type of environment.
"You can't ever underestimate their potential and how they can play. They're going to fight till the very last point."
Sharapova, who triumphed in Melbourne in 2008, will meet Alexandra Panova in round two.
