By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Tuesday, July 2, 2024Photograph credit score: Stephen White/CameraSport
Maria Sharapova closed the curtain on her profession in 2020, however reveals endurance at Wimbledon.
Twenty years after a 17-year-old Sharapova shocked Serena Williams within the 2004 Wimbledon remaining dethroning the defending champion in a straight-sets blow-out, she’s once more rising as a winner at SW19.
Extra: Shoulder Damage Knocks Sabalenka Out of Wimbledon
In response to a journalist’s query concerning the superb dinner visitor, each present world No. 1 Iga Swiatek and former No. 1 Naomi Osaka cited Sharapova because the champion they’d select to satisfy and break bread.
“For certain Steffi Graf. I’d love to speak to her and meet her, share some experiences,” Swiatek advised the media after her Wimbledon first-round win over Sofia Kenin right this moment. “Additionally I believe Maria Sharapova, ‘trigger we by no means actually talked as a result of she sort of retired once I was nonetheless going up.
“And I really feel like she made some good selections off the court docket when it comes to her enterprise, and he or she dealt with all the things effectively. You possibly can sort of take instance from her. And Serena.”
Requested the identical query following her Wimbledon opening-round win over Diane Parry, four-time main champion Osaka cited fellow Swoosh star Sharapova alongside two different Grand Slam champions.
“Andre Agassi, Li Na…Sharapova,” Osaka replied when requested her dream dinner visitors.
Maybe each champions will get their want as Sharapova has visited Wimbledon together with her son Theo and shared a few of that have on social media.
At her greatest, Sharapova was one of many hardest, loudest, fiercest, boldest champions of her period who scored Grand Slam remaining victories over former No. 1 gamers Serena Williams, Justine Henin, Ana Ivanovic and Simona Halep.
Sharapova confirmed a spirited love of the battle and established a well-earned repute as a charismatic, combative and controversial champion.
World No. 1 and fellow Head endorser Novak Djokovic developed a friendship with Sharapova and praised her combating spirit when she introduced her official retirement in a 2020 essay she wrote for Self-importance Honest.
“She’s an important fighter and as devoted as somebody may actually be in our sport,” Djokovic stated of Sharapova. “Her willpower and willingness to sort of overcome all of the obstacles she had within the final 5, six years with accidents and surgical procedures and attempting to battle again and are available again and performed on her desired degree, it’s really inspirational to see what a thoughts of a champion she has.
“I’m sorry it needed to finish with an harm, however on the similar time she had a improbable profession. She will be happy with herself.”
