"Absolutely, I would love to," she was quoted as saying on NZPA news agencyu00a0 on the eve of the Classic when asked about her hopes of adding to her collection during 2011.
"If I'm able to win a Grand Slam after my injury, it would be the greatest achievement in my career."
Sharapova's last victory in a major was the 2008 Australian Open, but injuries have hampered her game in recent times.
Later that year, she had surgery on her right shoulder, which meant a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
In her comeback on the circuit, she has had to adjust what had been a strength, her serve.
"It's one of those things that comes with time and you build on it," she said.
"I've had to change it a few times to accommodate the shoulder and obviously that's not the best case scenario to do in the middle of your career."
The former World No 1 begins the new season ranked at 18, still high enough to make her the Classic's top seed.
Her first-round match today is part of the day session, which organisers said was a sellout, with all 3200 centre court tickets snapped up.
Her opponent is Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro, the world No 57, whom she has not faced before. Why Auckland?
Sharapova said she chose the Auckland tournament because she wanted to make a switch to her pre-Australian Open schedule. Last year, when she lost in the opening round in Melbourne, her build-up comprised exhibition events.
This time around, with her last competitive tennis match having been three months ago, she was eager to get back into tournament mode early.
"I wanted to change it up this year," she said.
"It's my first time in New Zealand. I've heard many great things about the tournament from other players. When I thought about playing a tournament, this one was on the top of my list."
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