Maria Sharapova has told how her father’s vision and guidance led to her reaching the Wimbledon final against Serena Williams as a teenager.
The five-time Grand Slam champion told how she moved from Russia to the United States with her father, while also revealing she faced a lot when she faced the defending champion at Wimbledon.
during the discussion Bloomberg LiveThe Russian ace recalled that although she was solely focused on the competition, she was unaware of the high stakes involved.
“I was born in Russia and went to the United States with my father when I was five years old. I had a little bit of talent, but my father had a big vision and I followed his footsteps and guidance,” Sharapova told Bloomberg. Jason Kelly.
“At 17, I played in the Wimbledon final, the biggest stage of my career, against Serena Williams. There was a lot waiting for me. But as a teenager, apart from a game of tennis Outside of the game, you don’t know what’s going to happen next. Maybe there’s a dance where you can wear something nice,” the 36-year-old added.
Maria Sharapova, who completed her career Grand Slam, also emphasized in an interview that her first victory at Wimbledon was a lesson about cooperation and winning.
“It was a lesson about collaboration and winning. Coming back to New York and making the rounds through the media, that’s when I realized there’s more to sports than just winning and losing. It’s a business and you go out and get on the stage and you have a platform and you just Having a voice,” she said.
In 2014, Sharapova defeated Simona Halep at the French Open to win her last Grand Slam title.
Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams faced off 22 times in 15 years
Before her memorable Wimbledon victory in 2004, Maria Sharapova had lost to Serena Williams in their first meeting at the Miami Masters earlier that year.
The 6-1, 6-4 victory over the defending Wimbledon champion was the only time the Russian surpassed Williams in a Grand Slam match.
After winning the 2004 WTA Championship, Sharapova defeated Williams for the last time, but then suffered 19 defeats.
Following wins in the 2005 and 2007 Australian Open semi-finals and finals, Serena Williams continued her winning streak by defeating Sharapova in Miami and Charleston.
Sharapova failed to beat Williams in the round of 16 at Wimbledon in 2010 and lost at Stanford and Madrid in 2011 and 2012.
In the 2012 London Olympics women’s tennis singles final, Serena Williams defeated her opponent 6-0, 6-1 in straight sets. After winning finals in Miami, Madrid and Roland Garros, Williams dominated Sharapova throughout 2013.
After a disastrous defeat in the 2015 Australian Open final, Sharapova faced Serena Williams for the last time at the 2019 US Open, but again failed to change the script.
With an overall career record of 20-2, Serena Williams holds the advantage.