‘We Had Drama in the Locker Room’ – 31-Year-Old American Tennis Star Finds It ‘Weird’ as She Harks Back to the ‘Maria Sharapova’ Golden Era Owing to Women’s Tennis’ Drastic Evolution

Apart from the overall nature of the sport, tennis enthusiasts look forward to the off-court banter between the rivals. Be it the fiery exchanges between Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova or the on-court feud between Novak Djokovic and Andy Roddick, every controversial incident adds to the excitement of the fans. However, nowadays most of the on-court rivals on the WTA Tour have turned into off-court friends who often take a neutral stance or even a friendly demeanor. Thus, a lot of tennis stars, who have experienced heated rivalries, miss the good old days. Recently, American WTA player Coco Vandeweghe talked about how players like her, Maria Sharapova, Ava Ivanovic, and others made the sport entertaining. However, she feels this element is missing from the incumbent tennis realm.

Although there are some budding rivalries amongst the young players on the WTA Tour, the absence of off-court drama is something that Coco Vandeweghe is worried about.

Coco Vandeweghe reminisces about rivalries quoting Maria Sharapova and Ava Ivanovic

American tennis player Coco Vandeweghe made a name for herself when she climbed up the WTA chart into the Top 10. This eventually led to her facing some top-tier players. Reminiscing about how old rivalries worked, Vandeweghe shed light on the changing dynamics of tennis rivalries.

In a podcast interview with Kamau Murray, talking about present rivalries, she said, “I don’t get it. I did not grow up in that era of anyone liking each other ever.” Furthermore, she stated, “The locker room environment was a lot different with the Sharapovas, the Kuznetsovas, the Jankovics, and Ivanovic. You name it, we had drama in the locker room.”

She mocked the contemporary ways in which tennis players deal with each other. Vandeweghe stated, “So, it’s very different to see, the “yeah everyone had a good tournament, everyone had a good match, let’s hug it out.” It’s just it’s weird to me.” 

If we take the rivalry between Ana Ivanovic and Maria Sharapova itself, it was one of the most heated ones. Sharapova’s former coach Michael Joyce once revealed the intensity of their rivalry.

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Sharapova had an immense dislike for Ivanovic

Despite the two players having glorious careers, the Russian tennis star could not stand her Serbian rival at all.

In a podcast, Sharapova’s former coach Michael Joyce revealed how Sharapova remained motivated. He dictated that if she liked someone too much, she could not perform her best. However, if she did not, she would give her best. But she never had any specific reason to dislike Ivanovic, but she used it to perform her level best against the Serbian star.

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Who do you think will be the next Sharapova-Ivanovic on the WTA Tour? Let us know in the comments below.