‘Felt Like a Freak Amid All Those American Girls’ – Maria Sharapova Once Revealed ‘Big Money’ Embarrassment She Faced as a Kid at Andre Agassi’s Late Coach’s Academy

Can you believe there was a time when the Russian tennis icon, Maria Sharapova, was bullied? The highly talented five-time Grand Slam champion experienced a lot of hardship when she was a very young girl pursuing her aspirations. In her 2017 book ‘Unstoppable’, the Russian tennis star has written a very close-to-her-heart incident about how she was bullied, when she had just started playing in Nick Bollettieri’s academy.

While sharing the tough incident, the tennis player shared that talent somewhere will always be a step ahead as self-made athletes. And nothing can ever stop them from following their dreams. 

Maria Sharapova was once bullied for not being a rich kid

The Russian tennis star in her autobiography, Unstoppable, talked about the time when she was a part of Andre Agassi’s former coach, Nick Bollettieri’s tennis academy. And in that, she revealed that her fellow tennis players would laugh at her for her weird dressing sense and her old fashion racket. 

She wrote, “And a plan. I would be sent onto the courts with a group of girls my age. I’d do drills, hit some balls, and an assessment would be made. I felt like a freak amid all those American girls. First of all, I was younger than any of them by at least two years. Second, they stood together in a circle, laughing and gossiping, and I couldn’t understand a word of it.” 

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Moreover, she revealed that she faced big money embarrassment as a kid and how other tennis players would openly make fun of her for not being a rich kid in the academy. However, there was a time when the former world number one lend a hand to Serena Williams as she raised her voice against the racist comments directed toward the American tennis legend. 

When Sharapova raised her voice against bullying 

In 2014, Shamil Tarpischev, on a talk show, referred to the iconic sisters’ duo as the Williams brothers. Additionally, he made some racist comments regarding the iconic American tennis star.

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Immediately after this incident, the WTA banned Tarpischev for his remarks. The 23-time Grand Slam champion and even her arch-rival, Sharapova, appreciated the WTA’s decision. Additionally, they also talked about how it was very inappropriate.

What is your reaction to Sharapova’s bullying story?