Russia's search for its next generation of grand slam champions will take time and the country should not expect the success it enjoyed in the first decade of the 2000s overnight, according to Maria Sharapova.
Playing her first match of 2016 after a sore forearm forced her out of the Brisbane International this month, the Russian hammered Japan's Nao Hibino 6-1 6-3 to make the second round of the Australian Open.
Sharapova, who won her first grand slam title at Wimbledon in 2004 aged 17, was in the vanguard of a successful run of the country's women from the mid-2000s that has dried up in recent years.
Now 28, Sharapova has been the only Russian woman to win a grand slam singles since Svetlana Kuznetsova in 2009.
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"Just because you're successful for a certain period of time from a country, doesn't mean there's a younger generation coming up right behind them that's expected and mandatory to do well," she told reporters.
Russian women swept the three Olympic singles medals in Beijing in 2008 and Russia also won four Fed Cup titles in five years from 2004-08 but Sharapova said past success did not point to a conveyor belt of future champions although "ultimately somebody will take your place".
"That's just not the way things work. It takes time, takes experience, takes financial help," she said.
"It takes a lot of the right directions, coaches, infrastructure, everything."
Serena Williams shrugged off her knee injury and lack of match practice to beat Italian Camila Giorgi in the first round.
The American's troublesome knee forced her to pull out of the Hopman Cup last week and she was pictured taking treatment during a practice session in Melbourne on Saturday.
The world number one had not played a competitive match since her shock US Open exit in September, but she made light of her preparation problems as she edged past Giorgi 6-4 7-5 in just under two hours.
"It's great," Williams said, when asked about her knee injury. "It was an hour and 43 minutes and I didn't feel it at all."
"I think I just needed a break"
Giorgi, ranked 36th in the world, was the highest non-seed Williams could have drawn but she gave away too many easy points, particularly on her serve, which yielded 12 double faults.
Williams was certainly not at her barnstorming best in Rod Laver Arena but, after a long winter break, the top seed believes the extra rest stands her in good stead as she chases a 22nd grand slam title.
"It helped me a lot," Williams said. "I think I just needed a break.
"I have been going non-stop since the Olympics in London, and seeing that this is another Olympic year, I kind of wanted to start the year out really fresh and really go at it again as hard as I can.
"I just needed that time to just recover the best of my ability and get really fit, you know, and really train and get ready for the season."
Taiwain's Su-Wei Hsieh now awaits in round two after she beat Latvian Jelena Ostapenko.
The world number 90 reached the Australian Open fourth round in 2008.
"She's really young and really aggressive," Williams said. "She's really good, a talented player. She's extremely young. Very dangerous."
Sixth seed Petra Kvitova is also safely through after she cruised past Thailand's Luksika Kumkhum 6-3 6-1, but Caroline Wozniacki and Sloane Stephens both crashed out.
Wozniacki, seeded 16th, lost 1-6 7-6 (7/3) 6-4 to Kazakhstan's world number 76 Yulia Putintseva, while America's Stephens was beaten 6-3 6-3 by Chinese qualifier Qiang Wang.
Heather Watson snatched defeat from the jaws of victory as the British number two lost to Hungary's Timea Babos.
Watson led by a set and 5-4 and was serving for the match but world number 60 Babos came roaring back to win a gripping contest 6-7 (4/7) 7-5 7-5.
