Maria Sharapova recently shared her approach to handling competition and friendships on the tour. She said it was difficult for her to be social or friendly with other players during her career. Ad Sharapova won five Grand Slam titles and became one of only ten women in the Open Era to complete a Career Slam. She captured her first Major at Wimbledon in 2004 and her last at the French Open in 2014. Thanks for the submission! In an interview on The David Rubenstein Show, the Russian shared new stories about her time on tour. She said she never felt comfortable hugging players after matches and always focused more on competition than being social. Ad Trending “I was pretty honest about the relationship of being an athlete to another athlete. I always found it really difficult to share the thought of, Oh, why don’t we have a drink or go out to dinner and have an appetizer. Like, when I’m trying to really beat you the next day, and I’m going to pump my fist in your face, but then I’m going to give you a hug after? It’s just, it’s never really made sense,” Maria Sharapova said (Video Time 15: 00) Ad Ad Sharapova made her Grand Slam debut in 2003. She featured at the Australian Open and the French Open, but failed to win a match at either event. She finally opened her account at the 2003 Wimbledon Championships and reached the last 16 in London that year. The Russian captured her first title at the Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo. She added another to her locker by winning the Bell Challenge in Quebec City and was awarded the WTA Newcomer of the Year for her efforts. Ad Sharapova maintained her competitive nature behind the scenes during her time on tour. She wasn’t a big fan of small talk in the locker room with her peers. “Small talk wasn’t my specialty, I’ll be honest. I was very focused, and I was very, like, the locker room was my office. And, you know, I wouldn’t spend much time there. I was in and out. I treated it as a really important profession.” Ad “I think consistency was the highlight of my career” Maria Sharapova Maria Sharapova made her debut at the Indian Wells in 2002. She became the second youngest player in the Open Era to win Wimbledon in 2004. Ad The former World No. 1 said she was proud of her consistency during her overall career. She also credited herself for showing up for her team and sponsors amid the hectic schedule on tour. “I’d say consistency. I think consistency is. You can have results, and they could come at various times in your career, but I was consistent for many years. And you have to show up. You don’t just show up to play first round or the finals, you have to show up for press conferences after, before every match, before every tournament,” Maria Sharapova said Ad Sharapova entered the top 20 of the WTA Rankings in 2004. She remained in the top 20 for the next 12 years on tour. “Just the consistency and the mental wear and tear of showing up week in, week out. So I felt like I consistently showed up for my team, for my sponsors, and for a long period of time, I’d say that. As I look back, I’m proud of that,” Maria Sharapova added The 38-year-old is engaged to Alexander Gilkes. They share a son named Theodre, who was born in 2002. × Feedback Why did you not like this content? Clickbait / Misleading Factually Incorrect Hateful or Abusive Baseless Opinion Too Many Ads Other Was this article helpful? Thank You for feedback Edited by Aman Mohamed.
https://www.sportskeeda.com/tennis/news-maria-sharapova-gets-honest-found-really-difficult-hug-friendly-fellow-wta-stars
