Success does not come easily to anyone. It requires a lot of hard work and maybe some quirks that help one to reach that level. Therefore, Maria Sharapova too had them. Her former coach Michael Joyce talked about her relationship with Ana Ivanovic. Furthermore, he talked about her connection with some players and how it immensely affected her performance in both a positive and negative manner.

Her sacrifice and resilience from a young age taught her to be tough and ambitious. And this helped her become one of the greatest tennis players.

Michael Joyce on Maria Sharapova not liking Ana Ivanovic

Sharapova had her quirks, too. If she liked someone too much, it hindered her performance negatively. On the other hand, if she did not, she would give her best on the court. Her former coach, Michael Joyce, under whom she won three of her grand slam titles, detailed her behavior in a podcast interview.

He said, “Maria realized that if she likes them too much or was too close to them in a way, it was hard for her to burn that intensity.” However, he also knew what boosted her morale and said, “I do know that she did well with girls in a way she didn’t like that much. And a lot of times, she didn’t like them for no reason at all. It was actually pretty funny.” 

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He gave an example of her rivalry with Serbian player and grand slam winner, Ana Ivanovic. Joyce said, “Her and Ana Ivanovic never really liked each other. And Ana was always, I didn’t know her that well, but she was always friendly to me and she seem like a nice enough girl.” The coach once asked Sharapova about it, “What do you have against this Ivanovic.” And she is like, Aaahhhh she is a b***h or something.”

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He further asked her, “What’d she do?” She’s like, Nothing, I just know that she is.” Her performance immensely got better, and he said, “So, she goes out to play Ana, she’d be acting like she’s fighting this enemy but Maria would use that to fire herself up.”

How is Sharapova leading her life now? 

Michael Joyce coached Sharapova and helped her win three grand slam titles. After this, he guided players like Victoria Azarenka and Jessica Pegula. However, this would not have been possible, had it not been for his passion for the sport.

WATCH THIS STORY: Maria Sharapova whimsically mocks Novak Djokovic about how she helped him win Grand Slams

The resilience and tenacity of the five-time grand slam champion are still there. The Russian player gave birth to her first child, Theodore, and is now managing her life off the court. Even while being inactive from the sport, she takes care of her health and is hitting the gym to get her strength back.