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LONDON, ENGLAND – JUNE 24: Maria Sharapova of Russia blows a kiss to the fans after winning her Ladies’ Singles first round match against against Samantha Murray of Great Britain on day two of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club at Wimbledon on June 24, 2014 in London, England. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
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LONDON, ENGLAND – JUNE 24: Maria Sharapova of Russia blows a kiss to the fans after winning her Ladies’ Singles first round match against against Samantha Murray of Great Britain on day two of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club at Wimbledon on June 24, 2014 in London, England. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
Maria Sharapova is known for her elegance on the tennis court. She has had her fair share of success on and off the court. However, the Russian player was involved in an incident in 2016 that would come to define a low point in her career. The five-time Grand Slam winner failed a doping test at 2016 Australian Open and was consequently banned from competing.
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Having served her 15-month suspension, she returned to competition at the Stuttgart Open. As with any other comeback, people were of the opinion that Sharapova needed to polish up her act. On the other hand, German tennis legend and former world No. 1 Boris Becker was seen criticizing Sharapova for her behavior.
Boris Becker Criticizing Maria Sharapova for her unfriendly behavior
The six-time Grand Slam winner once spoke to Telegraph about Sharapova’s unpopularity among her peers off the court. “There’s no secret that she was one of the most unpopular players in the locker room, so a lot of players have their opinions about her.” said the 54-year-old.
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MONTREAL, QC – AUGUST 09: Maria Sharapova of Russia reacts after losing a point against Caroline Garcia of France during day four of the Rogers Cup at IGA Stadium on August 9, 2018 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
He further went on to state, “The question is on her, and how does she treat the comeback? Will she behave the way she behaved before? That would not be so good. Will she be a bit more charming and a bit more friendly to everybody? I hope so.“
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After being barred, she accepted every bit of the blame and accusation that was thrown at her. Moreover, she admitted that she had been taking it as a medicine prescribed by her doctor.
What was the journey like for Sharapova post doping incident?
Sharapova’s teammates and sponsors had conflicting opinions about her. Her major backers quickly distanced themselves from her. Porsche, Tag Heuer, and Nike all canceled their lucrative sponsorship deals with the tennis star.
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SINGAPORE – OCTOBER 25: Maria Sharapova of Russia reacts after a three set victory againt Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland in a round robin match during the BNP Paribas WTA Finals at Singapore Sports Hub on October 25, 2015 in Singapore. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
In spite of that, racquet manufacturer Head backed Sharapova and offered to extend her contract. In fact, the United Nations removed Sharapova from its list of goodwill ambassadors.
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Overall, this was quite a difficult time in Maria Sharapova’s life. Life was not easy as she struggled big time with her injuries, even after returning.
