Maria Sharapova was one of the best players in the world for about a decade. But now she has to contend with a new reality as a challenger rather than one of the elite.
In an interview with Tennis World USA, she said, “It’s difficult when you’ve tasted such great success and when you have expected yourself to be in later stages of tournaments on a consistent basis.”
“It’s challenging as a professional athlete when you’ve been at the top and you’ve experienced greatness, to kind of see yourself fall down a little bit and just think, Oh, it’s okay if I’m in the third or fourth round.”
The Russian continued, “Of course, it’s okay maybe when you’ve battled things and you’ve gotten through things to get yourself in a position to play professional tennis. Of course in a big perspective, that’s pretty incredible.”
“But overall, when you’ve had that feeling of winning, losing on a weekly basis to players you expect to beat is tough.”
Sharapova: There are other things in my life now
Sharapova has also noticed a physical change as she has got older. “Your body is not exactly as it was when you’re in your early 20s or teenage years,” she said.
However, the realisations are not all negative for the Russian. She also said that she now appreciates that there are “other things in life” besides tennis.
“(When I was young in Sochi) I remember it being really nice because I was playing tennis and I was enjoying myself. I didn’t do a lot of schoolwork.”
These days, Sharapova’s life is very different. She is a successful businesswoman with her own brand of sweets, Sugarpova, and she also has stakes in several other areas such as Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Nevertheless, although the Russian is thriving off the court, it is clear she is still hungry for a few more tennis triumphs before she hangs up her racket.
