MELBOURNE, Jan 13: Australian Open top seed Maria Sharapova said on Saturday she will consider early retirement when she loses her motivation for top-level tennis and wants to start a family.

The 19-year-old Russian world No.2 said she was still hungry for more Grand Slams but would eventually examine the option taken by Kim Clijsters, who will retire at the end of the year aged 24 to have children and settle down.

“As long as I have the motivation, I'll definitely be playing,” Sharapova said. “But I definitely think there are a lot of other things in life than tennis. I want to have a family, of course. I want to try other things in my career. Yeah, I can definitely see myself retiring at that age.”

Sharapova, who made the semi-finals for the second time in Melbourne last year despite carrying an injury, said she wanted to maintain the momentum built up with her US Open win last September. “I'm just ready to take it to the next level, hopefully get to the final or win it,” she said. “I'm glad that I could take the confidence that I played with at the (US) Open and take it through the end of the year, and hopefully start with that.”

The Florida-based teen ended 2006 ranked a career-best world number two after a 19-match winning streak that was only ended by Belgian Justine Henin-Hardenne in the last tournament of the season.

Success at Flushing Meadows brought Sharapova's second Grand Slam, following the Wimbledon title she won in 2004.

She has had relatively little preparation heading into Melbourne, limiting herself to the Champions Challenge in Hong Kong, where world No.5 Clijsters beat her in the final.

“I always like to take a week off with just training before a Grand Slam,” she said. —AFP