Five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova has claimed that she has grown as a person after serving a 15-month doping suspension.
The Russian superstar also revealed that she felt extremely lonely during the ban and it was undoubtedly the lowest phase of her career. She felt bad about it and used to write her experiences in a diary.
However, Sharapova did make a strong comeback to the WTA tour, reaching the fourth round of the US Open before winning the Tianjin Open title in October to move up to No. 59 in the world rankings.
Speaking to German newspaper, Sport Bild, Sharapova said: “I have always been a strong person. This is how I have seen myself. During the time when I wasn’t playing I felt bad and alone, and sometimes I wrote in my diary. But during the suspension, it was difficult to write. Many people next to me told me that during the ban period I grew as a person. “
Masha also explained what went in her mind before her first match when she made her return to action in Stuttgart. She said: “I already played that match in my mind. The night before, I slept better than ever. I was imagining any scenario, I was ready. I felt everything normal “(…)” It was a shock to be back in competition. Nobody can train for that.”
Criticizing the International Tennis Federation (ITF) for not discussing the matters of the sport with players, the two-time French Open champion said: “Tennis’s importance keeps getting bigger, and rightly so. But unfortunately, players are not involved in the conversations regarding changes. I learned about news for 2018 through the Internet. It can’t be correct.”
