Serena Williams is the name that indirectly brought Maria Sharapova to light and also caused her to retreat into the past.
Maria Sharapova’s No. 1 “fiend” Serena Williams
People often say that Sharapova and Serena are eternal rivals, but the truth is that the American tennis player is the “fiend” of “Russian Doll”. In 23 encounters, Masha won only 3 matches and Serena got sweet results 20 times.
Serena indirectly contributed to bringing Sharapova to “light” and also made “Russian Doll” want to retire.
It was Serena who “helped” Masha become a figure known to the world in 2004, when the reigning US champion unexpectedly lost easily to a 17-year-old girl at the Wimbledon final. But the Williams sister was the beginning and end of her Russian opponent’s prestigious career.
“One of the signs that predicted I had to retire came at the US Open last year. Behind closed doors, 30 minutes before stepping onto the field, I numb my shoulder to get through the game. Shoulder injuries are nothing new to me. Over time, my shoulder tendons have worn away like a string,” Sharapova wrote in her “letter” announcing her retirement.
Sharapova was estranged from the tennis community for being “cool”
After Sharapova retired, it was easy to see that not many colleagues shared the beauty’s sadness, except Novak Djokovic, who always supported “Russian Doll” unconditionally. Masha is “private, unique” so she doesn’t have many close colleagues.
Serena has Wozniacki as a close friend in the tennis world, but Sharapova is not close to anyone
Sharapova is nicknamed “Russian Doll”, but according to many people, that nickname truly reflects Masha’s personality. She only knows how to practice, then go on commercials without socializing with friends or colleagues. That’s why Masha is not popular with many people.
“Russian Doll” once told the Telegraph in 2013: “I’m not really close to many players. I think I’m participating in a combat sport so I don’t necessarily have to be close to all of them. everybody”.
“She is very cold. When Maria entered the match waiting room, everything seemed to stop. Everyone from the coach, assistant… would make eye contact as soon as Masha appeared,” that is confirmed by a coach who has worked with Sharapova.
As described by the legendary Chris Evert, “Russian Doll” is a “lonely tennis player”. She has always isolated herself from the rest of the tennis community. She cannot make soul-mates with other players, and all relationships stop at the colleague level.
Since the press conference in the US announcing her positive test for the banned substance meldonium, Maria Sharapova has almost been turned away by the whole world. While it was inevitable that the sponsors would unilaterally terminate the contract with “Russian Doll”, her colleagues also voiced criticism.
Wozniacki first spoke up: “As athletes, we are always conscious of staying away from banned substances, there are not many reasons to explain what she did”. Kvitova agrees: “We all have to check very carefully before putting anything into our bodies”. And Victoria Azarenka said: “There are many people who are disappointed with Sharapova”.
As for his male colleague, Andy Murray said he did not understand why the ITF and WTA let Sharapova hold the press conference. He expressed his confusion with Masha when she had heart problems but still wanted to compete. Murray thinks the Russian tennis player deserves to be punished.
Sharing the same opinion as Murray, there is Nadal, then Capriati, a three-time Grand Slam champion who has called for all of Sharapova’s titles to be stripped. After difficult times, Masha returned and received countless wildcards to major tournaments, which made the wave of opposition against the Russian tennis player even more intense.
It is not surprising that not many tennis players sent good wishes when Masha retired because her attitude was considered “cool” when she was still playing professionally.
