Maria Sharapova fondly remembers her 2nd and final French Open triumph ahead of 2024 women's final between Iga Swiatek & Jasmine Paolini
Before the French Open 2024 final between Iga Swiatek and Jasmine Paolini, Maria Sharapova was reminiscent of her triumph in Paris a decade ago. The Russian player won the French Open title for the second and final time in her career in 2014.
Sharapova has won five Grand Slam titles in her career. Apart from two Roland Garros titles, she has won the other Majors once. However, the Russian was a late bloomer on Paris' clay.
By 2008, Sharapova had won the Australian Open, the Wimbledon Championships, and the US Open but she was yet to reach the final in Paris.
After a long struggle, 25-year-old Sharapova reached the final of the French Open in 2012 and defeated Sara Errani of Itlay 6-3, 6-2.
She reached the final again in 2013 but Serena Williams got the better of the defending champion by a margin of 6-4, 6-4.
After not reaching a French Open final in nine attempts, the Russian player reached her third consecutive final in 2014. She won the title for a second time by defeating Simona Halep in a hard-fought match 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-4. This was her last Grand Slam title.
On Friday, June 7, Sharapova took to Instagram to throw back to her achievement. She shared a post of her celebrating her achievement on her Instagram Story. She captioned it "#2"
Maria Sharapova predicted the rise of French Open 2024 semifinalist Mirra Andreeva
17-year-old Mirra Andreeva had a breakthrough in 2024 as she reached the semifinal stage of the French Open. She caused a major upset by getting the better of second seed Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinal.
Before the Paris Slam got underway, Maria Sharapova was asked about who she thinks will have a breakthrough in 2024. She named her compatriot Andreeva.
"I want to say Mirra Andreeva will have a phenomenal year. I followed a little bit of her matches in 23’ and I think she has a strong attitude [and] she has the game to back it up. Genuinely, just like her approach and her sensibility in the game. And I think she has a very bright future ahead of her," Sharapova said in an interview with WTA.
Andreeva also claimed that she was a fan of Sharapova and watched her play, however, the 17-year-old is not looking to follow in her footsteps. She hopes to create her own separate career. Andreeva's dream run came to a halt after Jasmine Paolini defeated her in the semifinal of the 2024 French Open.