When you come from nothing, it makes you hungry and determined: Maria Sharapova

After moving to the US in 1994, the tennis player learnt to take care of herself.

By ET Bureau | Feb 20, 2020, 10.03 AM IST

Maria Sharapova opened up about the challenge of adjusting to life in a new country without her mother.

Maria Sharapova, a veteran on the tennis circuit with five Grand Slam titles against her name, had a difficult initiation to the sport. It’s common knowledge how she moved to the US with her father at the age of seven, while her mother stayed back in Russia.

Opening up about the challenge of adjusting to life in a new country without her mother, she revealed, “I used to be so lonely. I missed my mother terribly. My father was working as much as he could so he couldn’t see me either.”

Her mother eventually joined her two years later. By then, Sharapova had already become capable of caring for herself.

“I learned how to take care of myself. I never thought about quitting because I knew what I wanted. When you come from nothing and you have nothing, it makes you very hungry and determined,” she said.

Game, Set, Split: Naomi Osaka And Other Tennis Aces Who Parted Ways From Their Coaches

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The coming together of Djokovic (R) and Becker (L) as player and coach caught the world’s imagination in 2013. The Serbian star went on to win six Grand Slams under Becker and held all four major titles. However, three years later, the pair parted ways and it was clear that Becker wasn’t too happy. Speaking about Djokovic, he said, “He didn’t spend as much time on the practice court in the last six months as he should have, and he knows that.”