Tennis fans cherish nothing in the world more than a friendship between past legends of tennis. Be it small interactions between Nadal and Federer or the fun moments of Maria Sharapova and Novak Djokovic’s friendship. Fans are always looking forward to knowing more about how their idols act amongst each other.

During the imposed lockdown while the COVID-19 pandemic was going on, Sharapova and Djokovic connected over a video call and took a trip down the memory lane. From speaking about their first meeting to their hobbies, they did it all. However, amidst the jokes and goofiness, they also spoke about what makes the sport so special.

Maria Sharapova about Djokovic’s transformation

The former World No.1  has seen the 20 times Grand Slam champion rise to the heights from the bare minimum. Therefore, taking his example, Sharapova explained the beauty of tennis.

The Russian said, “It’s really admirable to watch you gain this interest throughout the years because I will say, and you’ll probably admit to it, but at the beginning of your career you struggled so much with your body and the length of matches.”

“I remember watching you on the clay and all the cramping and being like, ‘Are you ever going to get your s*** together?’ To see you make a transformation, what I loved about this sport. Our game and our results really did the talking for us,” Sharapova continued.

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During her career, Sharapova herself was fighting against two legendary players Serena and Venus Williams to engrave her name in the history of tennis. Many thought of her as a passing breeze but she rose against all the odds and claimed five Grand Slam trophies, conquering all three surfaces, winning 36 singles titles in totality.

Sharapova’s struggles

Sharapova has faced difficulties since the tender age of six when she moved to the USA alongside her father in search of a better coach. They suffered several problems such as the ones related to lack of money. However, owing to her mental strength and dedication towards the game, she established herself in the WTA.

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An unexpected issue occurred during her reign, which forced her out of the game for months. In 2016 at the Australian Open, she failed the doping test as the drug Meldonium was found in her blood and was banned for 15 months.

Thereafter, the Russian was subjected to a variety of foul comments from social media platforms. However, being the strong person she is, Sharapova managed to bounce back and finished her career on her own terms.