Talks about life in L.A., but not about dating Roddick

                    

	Andy Roddick and Maria Sharapova, shown here at a 2005 ESPY's pre-party, won't reveal whether they are a couple. Kevin Winter/Getty Images
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She may be more than 5,000 miles from her hometown of Nyagan, Siberia, Russia and more than 2,000 miles from her family's residence in Bradenton, Fla., but Maria Sharapova was feeling right at home while relaxing outside of the player's lounge at the Home Depot Center after Wednesday's 6-3, 6-1 win over Anastassia Rodionova at the JP Morgan Chase Open in Carson, Calif.

That probably has something to do with the fact that her newest home, a glass-fronted Manhattan Beach pad she purchased this year, is only a six-mile drive up the 405 North.

"It's nice," said Sharapova, who turned 19 in April. "I took a nap at my house [between matches], I walked the dog in the morning, went to my local gym, had lunch with my family. It's really nice and convenient to be close to home. I had all my friends come out to see me. I probably had more friends in the stadium than actual fans tonight. My friends and my family don't get to see me play that often, so it's really nice that they can come and watch. I saw one of my friends this morning and we were just talking, and when I was leaving, she was like, 'All right, I'll see you on center court this evening.' It's kind of weird, but I love it. I love it when they can come out to see me play."

Sharapova has spent the past month in Southern California after getting knocked out of Wimbledon in the semifinals. She defeated Kim Clijsters last week to win the Acura Classic in San Diego, Sharapova's 12th title overall and second of the year. She's trying to continue her unbeaten streak in California by winning the JP Morgan, and then she's off to the U.S. Open in fewer than three weeks.

"We'll have to see how this week goes," said Sharapova. "I had a really good rhythm last week and played really good, solid tennis. But this is a totally new week."

The news surrounding Sharapova before the match, however, wasn't about her actions on the court, but about who she was dating. While Sharapova refused to comment on her current beau, the former Wimbledon champion has been linked with fellow tennis star Andy Roddick for the past year in the worst-kept secret relationship since Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

The two hit it off before the ESPYs last year when they were often paired on the red carpet for photographers; with Roddick jokingly telling the taller Sharapova on more than one occasion to take off her heels. Since then they've been spotted together more times than the paparazzi can count, from poolside at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel before this year's ESPYs to exclusive gambling rooms in Melbourne during the Australian Open to UCLA's campus after last month's Country Wide Classic. Most recently, they were spotted getting cozy at Zinc Lounge in Manhattan Beach, which shouldn't come as a surprise since Sharapova has been somewhat of a regular at the ultra-chic lounge inside of the new Shade hotel since she moved into town.