Before the 2018 Australian Open, the game appeared on Reddit . In which the first person gives the answer, letting the next person think of the most interesting question for that answer. One member started with: “All four of you.” The response that received the most attention was: “How many people cheered Maria Sharapova in the stands in the first round of the Australian Open?”.

Not only on social networks, Sharapova is also shunned and openly hated by her colleagues. They criticized the Australian Open organizers for letting Sharapova hold the championship Cup next to Roger Federer at the draw. Their argument is that the tennis player who had to take a break from competition for 15 months due to doping does not deserve the Cup. Eugenie Bouchard even disparaged Sharapova as a “crook”.

“We wanted to have a former champion present the Cup,” explained tournament director Craig Tiley. Luckily, Sharapova accepted this offer. She broke the law but has received enough punishment.” It is understandable for Tiley because Sharapova is the only player who has won the Australian Open participating in this year’s tournament. However, the anger from the media, fans and other players still did not subside.

Sharapova was born in April 1987, one year after the Chernobyl disaster in Russia . Mr. Yuri and Mrs. Yelana Sharapov had to evacuate shortly after their only daughter was born, fearing the consequences of the explosion. Many people suspect that the effects of Chernobyl changed Sharapova’s genetic structure, making her unusually tall, because no one in her family is 1m88 tall like her. But what is certain is that her unpleasant personality was forged by pressure from her father, Yuri.

Sharapova played her first professional match at the Sarasota tournament in Florida in 2001, when she was just 14 years old. After witnessing his daughter being eliminated in the first round, Sharapova’s father rushed onto the court and cursed her opponent. That wasn’t the only time Mr. Yuri caused trouble in front of a crowd of spectators when his daughter competed.

At the 2004 WTA Tour Championships, Sharapova came from behind to defeat compatriot Anastasia Myskina 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 in the semi-finals. After the match, Myskina denounced Yuri: “He kept shouting and directing Sharapova’s tactics. I was afraid he would jump onto the field.” In the final, Sharapova continued to come from behind and defeated Serena Williams 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, while Yuri still had her problems.

That style can be seen in Sharapova. Although always in the top group in the world, Sharapova did not participate in the Fed Cup women’s team tournament until 2007, largely because of opposition from her colleagues. In the 2007 final, Sharapova appeared as a supporter for her teammates, even though she was not eligible to compete because she did not attend the previous rounds. But a member of the Russian team suspected that she did it to earn tickets to attend the 2008 Beijing Olympics. “Sharapova said she wanted to practice with us. But if she can’t compete, why practice with us?”, 2004 US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova questioned.

Sharapova was not welcomed when she returned to Russia. In America, she also became a thorn in the side of fans with her statements aimed at Serena Williams. “I saw Serena cry after losing in the 2004 Wimbledon final. She never forgave me,” Sharapova wrote in her autobiography. That was just the start of criticism aimed at the Grand Slam legend.

Americans think Sharapova is obsessed with Serena. In a video interviewing female tennis players about the most annoying opponent of their career, they all shared the same opinion: “Serena”. Sharapova – losing to Serena 19 out of 21 matches – replied: “Monica Seles”. There is no denying that Seles is also one of the icons of the tennis industry, but the two have only clashed once and at that time Sharapova was only 15 years old.

Serena often organizes parties with her colleagues, but has never invited Sharapova to attend.

Despite the gossip, Sharapova probably only cares about two words in her mind: Success .

Her talent burst out when she was just 6 years old. And for their daughter’s career, Yuri and Yelena ran, saved money and packed their bags to cross the Atlantic Ocean to Florida. Visa problems prevented Ms. Yelena from traveling with her father and daughter until 2 years later. Not knowing English, Mr. Yuri still had to work hard to help Sharapova study at veteran coach Nick Bollettieri’s IMG center. Yuri is willing to accept any job, even if the salary is low, including washing dishes. Understanding the austerity but resilience of her parents, Sharapova had the will to win at all costs.

When her career was soaring in her twenties, Sharapova suffered a serious shoulder injury. No one has ever returned to competition with such a severe shoulder injury, but Sharapova refused to give up. Not winning any victories in the last two months of 2007, she still unexpectedly surpassed Lindsey Davenport and Justin Henin to win the 2008 Australian Open.

Regaining the world number one position, Sharapova re-injured herself. Her shoulder muscle suffered a large tear in April 2008, but it was not discovered until August. For four months, Sharapova had to suppress pain and step onto the court. Returning at Roland Garros after surgery, she moved fans when she reached the quarterfinals and was only stopped by Dominika Cibulkova. Serving, which is Sharapova’s strong point, then became a burden.

Sharapova was signed by Nike for the first time when she was 11 years old. After the 2004 Wimbledon championship, a series of famous brands spread out the carpet inviting “Russian Doll” to be their representative image. When her shoulder injury first appeared, she was able to announce her retirement at the age of 20, pursue a modeling career and still be able to live comfortably for the rest of her life. But she didn’t give up. During the period 2007-2014, Sharapova struggled with injuries. The three times a shoulder injury tormented Sharapova, it was also the three times she struggled to stand up and win the Grand Slam.

Seeing that more and more “non-Grand Slam queens” appear in tennis such as Jelena Jankovic, Dinara Safina, Caroline Wozniacki or Simona Halep, Sharapova’s achievements are even more outstanding. Forbes reported in June 2017 that the amount of money Sharapova earned during her career reached $300 million, a record in women’s sports, not just tennis. Her perfect doll-like face helped her earn blockbuster contracts with Nike, Canon, Porsche, Motorola… And that prosperity probably makes many people “poor and uncomfortable”.

Sharapova was fined at a time when the Russian government was exposed for condoning doping for athletes. The 30-year-old tennis player gave two excuses: he did not know that the stimulant was on the banned list and only used this substance to treat his health. Public opinion believes that Sharapova is sincere in the first point, but not in the second. The reason they doubt is that with Sharapova’s desire to win at all costs, she is willing to do everything to achieve her goal.

One of the things that makes Sharapova unpopular with the audience is her shrill scream every time she swings the racket. But for the Russian tennis player, that scream is like the roar of a lion, both to show arrogance and to protect himself and his family from threats.