The world No 154 revealed how her frosty relationship with the planet's richest sportswoman and tennis-style icon, inspired her win.

'I don't know her well. I think I'm quite sure no one on the tour knows Maria well because she's not a very talkative girl and not very outgoing,' Kudryavtseva said.

'Still, it's very pleasant to beat Maria. Why? Well, I don't like her outfit. Can I put it this way? It's a little too much of everything. It was one of the motivations to beat her.'

The 20-year-old was referring to Sharapova's widely-publicised Wimbledon tuxedo-style top and shorts. Actually she also hinted at the Florida-based world No 3's relationship with her Russian teammates.

Kudryavtseva insisted she did not care what Sharapova's reaction might be to her outburst.

'If I'm not afraid to go play her and she's world No 3, I'm not afraid she's going to catch me in the dressing room and say, 'You know what, you said you don't like my outfit. You were wrong'.

'I will say, 'Sorry. That's just my opinion'.'

Kudryavtseva, who has earned less than US$400,000 (S$546,760) in her career, less than a quarter of what the 21-year-old Sharapova has earned this season alone, admitted that the win was the best day of her career.

'For sure beating her is a big deal for me. The best day of my tennis life!' said the daughter of a top Greco-Roman wrestler for the Soviet Union in the 1980s.

'I realised Maria was not playing that great when she double faulted three times.

'I was trying not to keep the score in my head so much because it puts a lot of pressure.'

Coming so soon after a fourth-round exit to Dinara Safina at the French Open, this defeat was 1hr 23min of agony for Sharapova.

Sharapova has been struggling with her service in the last two seasons because of shoulder pain. She had her service broken five times, finished with eight double faults and won just 27 per cent of the points with her second service against Kudryavtseva.

It was one of Wimbledon's greatest upsets.

But Sharapova insisted: 'I still have the desire, even 30 minutes after the match, to go back on court and to get better.

'I still have many years ahead of me. I've had to deal with ups and downs, on and off the court, and I have the experience behind me.'

There was even time for a little retort: 'Everybody is hungry. This girl that beat me, she might not win the tournament, but she beat me. And it probably made her tournament.'

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, ASSOCIATED PRESS