Armed with a new look, a refurbished serve and a fortuitous draw, Russia's Maria Sharapova is primed to defend her US open title.

"I'm sure, going on the court I'm going to be a bit nervous," Sharapova told reporters. "Nerves are part of an athlete. It's how you deal with nerves.

"I love it when there's something on the line. That's when I play my best tennis."

Sharapova will be sporting a new style at this year's Open, which begins at the National Tennis Center today. The world number two has swapped last year's glamorous Audrey Hepburn look for a flaming red dress inspired by New York City.

"We got out of black, out of 'Breakfast at Tiffany's'," Sharapova added.

"We wanted to totally do different things. We based it on the city, my favourite city in the world.

"It's red. I've never worn a red dress before. It's a really big statement, as well, because it's the Big Apple and apples are red," she added with a chuckle.

The outfit, complete with a flared hemline and over 600 Swarovski crystals on the bodice, will be Sharapova's attire during night matches.

After suffering a shoulder injury early in the season, Sharapova has made subtle changes to her service motion and the 20-year-old Russian said she started to see dividends during pre-Open tournaments on the West Coast.

"I'm serving probably the biggest that I've served this year," the two-times grand slam winner said.

Sharapova denied she had a favourable draw despite having Justine Henin, Serena and Venus Williams, and dangerous Serb youngsters Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic in the opposite half.

"I really can't get worried about how the draw played out," she said.

"You have Serena, who is seeded eighth, and Venus who is seeded 12th. They could have easily been on my side, as well.

"That's just the way things go."

Sharapova will open her title defence against Italy's Roberta Vinci.

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