Maria Sharapova is well used to the limelight — on and off court — but the stage lights seemed just that little bit brighter even for the five-time grand slam champion at the US Open earlier this week.
After Sharapova made a winning return to the slams following a 19-month absence — she defeated Simona Halep in an epic encounter Monday — the 30-year-old Russian was asked what she had learned about herself.
“Behind all these Swarovski crystals and little black dresses, this girl has a lot of grit and she’s not going anywhere,” said Sharapova.
However, for many leading figures within the tennis world, Sharapova’s return to the sport’s top table following her doping ban still feels somewhat premature.
“If someone gets caught for doping, this person shouldn’t be helped to come back faster to the top of the game,” Serena Williams’ coach Patrick Mouratoglou told CNN Sport, referring to the United States Tennis Association’s decision to grant Sharapova a wild card to play at Flushing Meadows.
“Part of the punishment is to start from zero, build it up, go to smaller tournaments and do it the hard way,” Mouratoglou explained.
It’s a sentiment shared by former world No. 1 Chris Evert who told CNN Sport after Wimbledon: “I don’t necessarily think that in the grand slams, she should be given a wild card, no.”
Mouratoglou also touched upon Sharapova’s standing within the players’ locker room.
“A lot of them already said, they’re not really Sharapova fans, she doesn’t speak to the players,” said Mouratoglou.
Perhaps that’s not altogether too surprising. In the past Sharapova has described the women’s locker room as “my least favorite place in the world.”
“It’s tough for me to imagine being friendly and having a friendship with someone and then the next day going out on the court and trying to beat them,” Sharapova explained in an interview with US broadcaster Larry King in 2013. “I don’t think that’s fair.”
Sharapova is going to need plenty of that grit she talked about as she negotiates the women’s locker room hierarchy.
“I don’t think a cheater at any sport should be allowed to play that sport again,” Eugenie Bouchard told Turkish broadcaster TRT World in April, adding that privately she has received plenty of support from figures within the game.
“I would get messages from coaches and players saying ‘wow, I agree with you, I’m so happy you spoke up’ … for me, it’s not about myself, it’s about the sport and the future of the sport,” said the Canadian.
Whatever people think about Sharapova’s entry into the US Open, her performance against Halep suggests the Russian will be a force to be reckoned with both at Flushing Meadows and at future slams.
Just don’t expect her to be discussing the doping ban anytime soon.
“That’s the past.” she said after beating Halep. “We’re past that now.”
