"I am not here to do something else, I'm not here to act or to model" - When Maria Sharapova dismissed comparisons to Anna Kournikova
Maria Sharapova was once asked for her thoughts on being compared to Anna Kournikova, and also whether she would quit tennis if things outside the sport - such as modeling - caught her attention. Sharapova replied in the negative, asserting that she thought of herself primarily as a tennis player.
Kournikova, for those unaware, burst onto the tennis scene in 1995 and reached her maiden Slam semifinal at Wimbledon the same year. She rose to a career-high ranking of World No. 8 in 2000, but hung up her racquet just a few years later in 2003.
Although Kournikova had a successful doubles career - winning two women's doubles Grand Slams, two WTA Finals titles and reaching the World No. 1 spot - she never reached the dizzying heights she promised in singles. Many attributed that to her being distracted by off-court interests, as the Russian garnered huge media attention from the get go.
In addition to gracing the covers of several magazines throughout her career, Anna Kournikova was placed at the No. 1 spot in FHM's 'Sexiest Women in the World' list in 2002. She was also one of People magazine's 'World's 50 Most Beautiful People' in 1998.
When Maria Sharapova became an overnight star in tennis, winning the 2003 WTA Newcomer of the Year award, there were questions about whether she would go the Kournikova route as well. However, when the question was put to her at the Italian Open the following year, the then teenager quickly dismissed it.
Sharapova proclaimed that she was not looking to become an actor or a model, and that she was solely focussed on her one job, which was to play tennis.
"Well, sitting here and loving the sport, you know, I can't say what I'm going to be doing when I'm older, but I have a really big passion for tennis and that's why I'm here. I am not here to do something else, I'm not here to act or to model. This is my job, and I'm here to do it. And as long as I love it, I'm going to do it," Maria Sharapova said in a press conference.
Just a few weeks after that interview, Sharapova claimed her maiden Grand Slam at Wimbledon. That made her the third-youngest woman in history to win the title, and also helped her break into the top 10 of the rankings for the first time ever.
"I know that tennis is not going to be my whole life, it's my career" - Maria Sharapova
In the same interview, Maria Sharapova said she knew tennis was not going to be her whole life, and that it was just her career.
At the same time, she emphasized that tennis was the main reason she came from Russia to the United States. Sharapova suggested that she wouldn't exchange it for anything else, even if she pursued other interests every now and then.
"I know that tennis is not going to be my whole life. It's my career, of course. This is, you know -- I came to the United States when I was seven years old to play tennis, and I have a big talent at it. And if I can succeed and this is what makes me happy, then this is what I'm going to do. So far, I'm very happy at what I'm doing," Maria Sharapova said.
"I know it's not my whole life I'm going to be playing tennis. I have many other interests I'd like to pursue and I'd like to develop, which I love fashion and, yeah, maybe acting or something like that. But of course I'm very young - I'm only 17 - and right now I just want to be a professional tennis player. And, you know, other than that, when I'm off the court, yeah, I definitely like to do a few things," she added.
Sharapova went on to win four more Grand Slam titles in singles, also completing the Career Grand Slam -- winning all four Majors at least once each.