“You're not just born being a natural clay‑court player” - When Maria Sharapova surprised herself by winning the French Open for a 2nd time
Maria Sharapova lifted her second French Open title in 2014 by defeating Simona Halep in the final 6‑4, 6‑7, 6‑4. The Russian won her first French Open title in 2012 to complete the Career Grand Slam, four years after her previous Grand Slam title.
Sharapova was seeded seventh at the 2014 Clay Slam. She got through the first three rounds in straight sets, defeating Ksenia Pervak, Tsvetana Pironkova, and Paula Ormaechea.
In the fourth round, the former World No. 1 rallied from a set and 3-4 down against Australia's Samantha Stosur, winning nine games in a row to reach the last eight. Sharapova then defeated Spaniard Garbine Muguruza in the quarter-finals, once again coming from a set down.
Appearing in her fourth consecutive semi-final in Paris, the Russian defeated Eugenie Bouchard, again in three sets. Sharapova won her fifth overall Grand Slam title and second at the French Open with a three-set victory over Simona Halep.
In the press conference following the final, the Russian expressed her surprise at winning the Clay Slam twice. She stated that if anyone had told her she was going to win another title in Paris, she would get drunk - or ask that person to go get drunk.
“I didn't actually ‑ I didn't think ‑ if somebody had told me that I'd win ‑ at some stage in my career that I'd have more Roland Garros titles than any other Grand Slam, I'd probably go get drunk. Or tell them to get drunk, one or the other,” she said.
Sharapova also stated that nobody was a natural clay-court player, barring the King of Clay, Rafael Nadal. The Russian said she had worked hard to adapt to the surface as she did not grow up playing on it.
“You're not just born being a natural clay‑court player,” she added. "Okay, maybe if you're Nadal. But certainly not me. I didn't grow up on it; didn't play on it. I just took it upon myself to make myself better on it. There is no one else that was going to do that for me. I had to do the work."
The 2014 French Open title proved to be the last Major of Maria Sharapova's career.
Eugenie Bouchard recently apologized for her ‘doper’ dig at Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova’s semi-final opponent from the 2014 French Open, Eugenie Bouchard, recently took a sly dig at the Russian following her first-round victory over Dayana Yastremska at the 2023 Madrid Open.
"There's something about playing dopers in Madrid," she tweeted a day after the win.
Bouchard later deleted the tweet and issued an apology for it.
Maria Sharapova tested positive for meldonium during a drug test at the 2016 Australian Open. The substance was banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) effective January 1, 2016.
The Russian was provisionally suspended from competitive tennis from March 12. On June 8, she received a two-year ban from the International Tennis Federation (ITF), which was later reduced to 15 months on appeal.