Sharapova Confident of Fed Cup Victory Over Spain Maria Sharapova

Despite the strong Spanish lineup, Russia goes into the weekend's Fed Cup quarterfinal as clear favorite, a confident Maria Sharapova said Wednesday.

"The Spanish team is strong but we're the favorites for the match regardless," Sharapova said after practice on the hard courts of Moscow's Olympiisky Sports Complex, where the match will take place.

Spain is in Moscow looking for revenge for its 2008 final drubbing at the hands of Russia in Madrid. Though rejuvenated under new captain Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, the Spaniards will be up against it: Of Russia's foursome of Sharapova, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Nadia Petrova and Ekaterina Makarova, only Makarova ranks lower than Spain's top player, world No. 39 Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez.

The 55th-ranked Carla Suarez Navarro, No. 108 Arantxa Parra Santonja, and doubles specialist Llagostera Vives complete the visitors' lineup.

Sharapova warned against complacency, however, referring to last year's narrow 3-2 win over France that came after she and teammate Kuznetsova lost their opening singles matches to Virginie Razzano and Alize Cornet, respectively.

"Anything can happen in the Fed Cup. A year ago I didn't play very well in the first rubber of our match with the French, and Svetlana Kuznetsova also lost on the first day.

"But then Svetlana [Kuznetsova] and Anastasia [Pavlyuchenkova] helped us to get out of a tricky situation the next day. I hope we don't have any difficulties this time."

The Florida-based Sharapova admitted that the Russian winter came as a surprise when she returned from Melbourne this week after reaching the final of the Australian Open. Temperatures in Moscow have hovered around minus 20 degrees Celsius in recent days.

"A change of climate like that was a shock for me. I still haven't got used to this weather. But I hope the time to acclimatize before the match is enough for us. Anyway, we aren't playing outside."

The 24-year-old's run in Melbourne moved her up a spot to third in the world rankings released Monday.

Teammate Petrova, 29, ranked 33rd in the world, said that the Fed Cup was a useful opportunity for Russian players to prepare for the Olympics and learn each other's strengths and weaknesses.

"In the Fed Cup we have the chance to get to know each other better," she said.

The 23-year-old Makarova came into the Fed Cup squad as a late replacement for the injured Pavlyuchenkova. The team captain is veteran leader Shamil Tarpishchev.