5 instances when Maria Sharapova was criticized openly by her fellow players ft. Serena Williams & Simona Halep
Maria Sharapova's accomplishments made her one of the best to ever play the sport. A career-high ranking of World No. 1, a career Grand Slam and a total of five Major titles, a silver medal at the Olympics and a title at the WTA Finals, shows that she has achieved a lot.
Sharapova also courted plenty of attention from the media thanks to her good looks and effervescent personality. Her business acumen also helped her out a lot. Her determination and single-minded focus while competing fetched her plenty of titles.
However, Sharapova's relationship with her fellow players was quite strained at times. As such, they didn't hesistate when it came to voicing their opinion against her. On that note, here are five incidents when the Russian was criticized by her fellow players:
#5 - "Just too loud" - Agnieszka Radwanska on Maria Sharapova's grunting
It was quite easy to know when Sharapova was on the court as her unique grunting made everyone aware of her presence. While quite a few players make some noise while hitting the ball, the Russian was often singled out due to her decibel levels.
Radwanska expressed her displeasure about the same at the 2012 Australian Open. Following her loss to Victoria Azarenka at the tournament, she also complained about Sharapova's loud grunting in her post-match conference.
"About Maria [Sharapova], I mean, what can I say? For sure that is pretty annoying and it's just too loud." - Agnieska Radwanska on Maria Sharapova's grunting.
Sharapova then struck back with her own retort when quizzed about Radwanska taking up an issue with her grunting.
"Isn't she back in Poland already?" - Maria Sharapova on Agnieszka Radwanska
While Radwanska had lost in the quarterfinals in Melbourne, Sharapova made it to the final. The Russian's now infamous jibe made a reference to her rival losing before her.
#4 - "I think that’s a questionable thing to do" - Caroline Wozniacki on Maria Sharapova getting preferential treatment following her return from a drug ban
Sharapova was suspended from tennis for more than a year after she was found to be in violation of anti-doping rules after the 2016 Australian Open. Her return to tennis was met with equal amounts of enthusiasm and disdain.
Sharapova's reputation was tainted amid accusations of her being a serial cheater. She made her comeback during the clay season in 2017. During the US Open that year, Wozniacki was miffed at the Russian getting Center Court assignments when she was just returning from a drug ban.
"When you look on center court — I understand completely the business side of things and everything — but someone who comes back from a drug sentence, performance-enhancing drugs, and then all of the sudden gets to play every single match on Center Court, I think that’s a questionable thing to do." - Caroline Wozniacki on Maria Sharapova getting primetime slots at the US Open
Sharapova later remarked that she was even content to play in a parking lot as long as she got to compete.
#3 - "I don’t think a cheater in any sport should be allowed to play that sport again" - Eugenie Bouchard on Maria Sharapova's drug ban
Knives were out once Sharapova received a drug ban. Bouchard rose to prominence with some impressive results in 2014, but failed to back it up over the next couple of years. She had some choice words to say about the Russian's misdeeds:
" I don’t think that’s right. She is a cheater and so, to me, I don’t think a cheater in any sport should be allowed to play that sport again. It’s so unfair to all the other players who do it the right way.” - Eugenie Bocuhard on Maria Sharapova
As luck would have it, Sharapova was drawn against Bouchard in the second round of the 2017 Madrid Open upon her return. The latter finally managed to score her first win over the Russian, having lost all four of their previous matches.
Sharapova, meanwhile, maintained a dignified silence on Bouchard's claims and never addressed them head on.
#2 - "It's not okay to help a player who was banned for doping" - Simona Halep on the tennis community welcoming the Russian
Sharapova's popularity remained quite intact even after her doping suspension. Tennis is a business too at the end of the day and tournaments were eager to have a well-known name like the Russian on the tour.
Halep wasn't too thrilled on the warm reception Sharapova was getting upon her comeback and didn't mince her words regarding the matter:
"For the kids, for the young players, it is not okay to help a player with a wild card who was banned for doping. It is not about Maria Sharapova here, but it is about all the players that are found doped. I cannot support what the tournament director did, but also, I cannot judge." - Simona Halep on Maria Sharapova receiving wildcards into tournaments
Halep herself was suspended in October 2022 for testing positive for a banned substance. Her ban from the sport was upheld a year later, though she's in the process of contesting it.
#1 - "The book was 100 percent hearsay" - Serena Williams on Maria Sharapova's autobiography
The Williams-Sharapova rivalry captured the audiences' attention ever since they first crossed paths in 2004. The American owned her younger rival after taking a couple of losses to her that year.
While Sharapova was suspended from tennis, she took the time to focus on her other interests and even wrote an autobiography. The book came out in 2017 and Williams was featured quite heavily in it. The American wasn't too happy about whatever she had read about her in the book.
The atmosphere was already tense as the two were about to clash at the 2018 French Open as well, their first encounter in over two years. When asked about Sharapova's memoir, Williams dismissed it as pure speculation.
"The book was 100 percent hearsay, at least all the stuff I read and the quotes that I read, which was a little bit disappointing" - Williams on Sharapova's autobiography
Williams wouldn't play against Sharapova that year in Paris, as she withdrew before their fourth round contest due to an injury. Both players have now retired from the sport and their relationship seems to be in a better place.