“I was never here to make friendships”- Sharapova

Maria Sharapova has been an icon in the sporting world of tennis, for more than one reason. However, in one of her recent press conferences she revealed that there are people that even she looks up to and feels small around. The Russian superstar, remembered with a smile about her meeting with the basketball legend Michael Jordan.  “Actually I met Michael Jordan a few years ago randomly, unexpectedly, at an airport”, said Sharapova.

“Usually I don’t get very star struck, but he’s such a powerful person and athlete”, she continued. “I think he has that aura about him. It’s very special. He’s like- ‘Hey, you’re that tennis player’- I’m like ‘Oh, my goodness Michael Jordan knows who I am'”, said Sharapova. “So, yeah, that was unique.”

Sharapova also spoke about the times when she was young and felt she could conquer the world. “When you’re young every new experience is new and different”, she said. “It’s just a learning experience really and you don’t-you can’t really take anything from the past, because maybe you haven’t been in that position before”, said the Russian.

“As you grow older and you’ve been in different types of situations, whether winning or losing or going through tough moments or great moments or confident rides, you know how that feels like in your mind when you’re on court. When you’re younger, everything that you take in is very new and fresh. It’s a really good feeling, because ultimately that’s what sets up the future for you.’

Sharapova has known to be alienated on the tour, with very less players on the WTA roster whom she can call as friends. However, she has no regrets about that fact that she has not made any friends on the tour. “I treat my career and my work as a very serious profession, and I know that what has got me my success is the fact that I’m a big competitor and that I don’t want to give anyone a chance”, she said. “I was never here from day one to make friendships”, she continued. “This is a battlefield for me, and I want to win. I think you see that passion when I’m on the court. That’s my job. That’s how I feel. I try to tough it out. I try to grind it out, whatever it takes”, she added.

“Sometimes it’s not very pretty, but at the end of the day, if I get the job done, I’m happy”, said Sharapova. However, Sharapova is known to be a different person altogether off the court, with an aura of a business-woman and an intellectual. “When I’m away from the courts it’s a very different story, even though I’m very competitive and I don’t like to lose in many things. Yeah, I’m certainly not like that as I am on the court,’ said Maria Sharapova.