Maria Sharapova’s Reflections on the Olympic Experience

The experience gives Maria Sharapova a broader view of what it is like to experience the Olympic Games for a tennis player. The former world number 1 recognized the fleeting nature of this event, forcing her to think about the next tournament once it has passed. In a recent interview, Sharapova also spoke about the danger of social networks and recalled her 2004 Wimbledon title against Serena Williams.

In her only participation in the Olympic Games she won silver against Serena Williams in 2012

“It was the only Olympic Games I competed in. Me, of course, as an athlete, you want gold. There’s no other way to say it. Like in tennis, it’s either the champion’s trophy or it’s like you’re not there. But It had a huge meaning, the feeling of being part of it. For a tennis player who plays so many events, it almost takes away the meaning of the Olympic Games because you are constantly going from one event to another.

And although the Major Leagues are where you want to perform best, the Olympics are at that level. But it’s once every four years, so you move on to the next one. I won that silver medal and I think I had to fly somewhere in the United States to play another tournament. So it’s so fast, I know it sounds crazy, you don’t have time,” he commented. Maria Sharapova to the podcast Armchair Expert with Shepard.

The danger of social networks for young tennis players is real

“There is an external pressure of having to constantly update to make your presence relevant in this digital universe. I never had help from anyone with anything I did on social media, but I definitely faced that pressure of: ‘oh yeah I don’t post for a week, no one will see my posts when I make them.’ But then you have to stay true to who you are.”

The reason why he doesn’t want to comment on tennis matches

“I’m not someone who says a lot, I don’t talk all the time just to talk. I am more reflective, more observant and then when I am confident, I want to say what I feel when I have done enough research on something and have conviction in my thoughts when I say it. “That’s why I didn’t think I could be a good commentator because I just don’t like filling the oxygen with words.”

The memory of her final at Wimbledon 2004 against Serena Williams, with whom she finished with an unfavorable H2H of 3-20

“There was a lot riding on that match, one of the main reasons was because it was Wimbledon. In fact, I played Serena a few months ago at a tournament in Miami and she easily won that match in straight sets.

It was a moment where I really felt the weight. It was the fact that Wimbledon, in my eyes growing up, was ‘The Event, The Tournament’, the place where as a professional you want to finish. So it was and it turned out that it was the final for me. It’s interesting that it was one of the first times in my career when I was young that I felt what it was like to be there.

It’s not that I had much experience in Grand Slam tournaments, just two weeks before I reached the Roland Garrps quarterfinals for the first time. Although I lost, it was a great victory. But at Wimbledon I won that match with a lot of confidence. I felt like I was letting go of any fear I had. “I just let the moment and my skill shine.”

2023-12-10 20:42:37
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