Sharapova finished 2012 in great form, reaching the final of the TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championship in Istanbul a result which saw her finish the year as world number 2, her highest finish since 2006.
The world number two has been preparing for next season by playing at an exhibition event alongside players such as Ana Ivanovic, Sara Errani, and Roberta Vinci in Milan over the weekend, and has her eyes firmly set on the top spot.
"Obviously, the goal is always to shoot for top spot and that's always where you want to be and stay," Sharapova said in Milan.
During her career, Sharapova has held the ranking of No.1 for a total of 21 weeks and on five separate occasions.
"Obviously, to get to No.1 is great, but what's most important, and the main goal, is to win as many matches as you can. Then the ranking takes care of itself," she added.
"To get to No. 1 the only thing to do is to work hard and you have to treat every match, no matter what it is, the same. That's what we all do."
It seems Sharapova has been bitten by a winning bug this year, statistically 2012 was her most successful campaign on record, with 60 wins to her name.