QUESTION: You’ve said you’re not the most gifted athlete, yet you’ve had such success. How did you pull that off?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I have no idea. My mom was never an athlete. She was more of a dancer. My dad, he played hockey, but when I saw him ski, I’d say, “I don’t know how you got down those slopes. Maybe he jumped off helicopters. He runs like a turtle.”
Q: But he was behind you all the way.
MS: Oh, God, yeah. As tough as he was, he knew me so well. He knew exactly when I could push myself…[and] when to give me a break when I was too hard on myself. He’d say, “Just let it go.”
Q: You must be very satisfied with that relationship.
MS: I’m lucky. Sometimes you get to a point where you feel like you want to get away and have a separate life from your parents, [but now] I feel like I want to be closer because I’m so lucky with what they’ve helped me with.
Q: You’ve said that at home you have the three Slam trophies and the three dresses you wore while winning them. God forbid, if there were a fire, which would you grab first?
MS: I don’t think I’d grab the dresses or the trophies. Those are all replaceable. I hate to say it, but probably my cell phone. I know that’s ridiculous.
Q: What about your dog?
MS: The dog will find a way out. It’s smart.
Q: Do you spoil your dog?
MS: To a certain extent you have to. If you have a good soul…It’s always spoiled when my grandma’s in town…[She] cooks a lot.
Q: Talk about Russian tennis. You’ve said there weren’t many alternatives there and what about some of the other elements — the toughness of the culture, the roles of Kournikova, Yeltsin, the Olympics.
MS: It’s a big country, full of incredible culture and many great athletes…We’re fortunate because we were given the drive by our parents. They encouraged us and sacrificed a lot…We have to thank them for that…In the beginning it was a lot about the Olympics, hockey and gymnastics.
Q: Was hunger a key?
MS: We don’t have that many choices. It’s incredible in this country. You have so many sports to choose from. I have [American] friends who have kids and they’re confused. They don’t know if they should play football or lacrosse. It’s great because you learn different sports. It’s great for social skills. But…if you want to commit yourself to a sport, it has to be one or another. You can’t one weekend play tennis, one weekend play football…In Russia, your commitment was only to drive an hour to the courts and to get as many minutes on court. Other than that, there’s nothing in mind except going home, and making sure I finished my schoolwork or else my mom was not very happy.
Q: Here we have the American dream. In England, it’s tradition. Some speak of the Russian soul, about determination, sticking to your principles. What is the Russian soul?
MS: The Russian soul is deep. It’s very deep. They’re a very imaginative people…one of the most creative in many aspects. They’re beautiful people. The people have a great sense of what’s beautiful — great taste in the little things in life.
Q: Russians dealt with their share of suffering. They’re strong, determined.
MS: Russians are determined because they’re not given a lot of chances in life. When they do get a chance, in work or their personal life, they go for it. They don’t think, “Oh, what if?” They go for what they believe in.
Q: Inside do you feel more like a Russian or an American?
MS: I’m torn both directions, because when I’m at home and I’m around my family, everything is in Russian. We always cook Russian food. I talk to my grandparents all the time. We read and watch Russian movies. It’s different. Then I go outside and most of my friends are American… Then I go back to Russia and it feels so amazing when you’re…speaking Russian, seeing the signs in Russian. I feel like that’s where I always was. It’s great going back, but obviously I’ve gotten accustomed to life here…[Still], I just have always had the Russian feeling inside. There was a point when I got a lot of questions…[on] why I never chose to change citizenships. One of the reasons was because deep down, I know where I was born. I’m really proud of my Siberian roots, moving to Sochi. Apart from my parents, all my family lives there. It’s all about Russian culture…I talk to my grandparents constantly…I speak to my parents in Russian…It’s a character I feel is inside of me…It’s more of a feeling than anything else.
Q: You’ve got a lot going for you these days — what gives you the most joy?
MS: To go home and feel like I have a simple life [and] tennis and other things don’t take over…[and] I don’t feel like I’m overwhelmed with my job even though I’m constantly thinking. I’m happy when I’m settled into my life. I don’t feel like I need to go to a red-carpet event for people to notice me. I don’t feel like my career is in the hands of someone who can put me on the cover of a magazine. That’s a big worry [some] people have in many industries. It’s tough to live like that. I’m fortunate that my career is driven from what I create with my own hands, win or lose… My success is made with my own creativity and the team around me. That’s what keeps me sane.
Q: How has your mental toughness evolved?
MS: Experience is a big thing. It’s priceless. But I don’t think you can just go to someone and they can teach you calmness and mental toughness. It’s just how you see certain situations instead of just being negative…It’s so easy to get down on yourself and want to throw your racket and complain…But positive thoughts lead to much better results.
Q: Did you have doubts during your comeback?
MS: There were doubts because I had many expectations on when I would come back. I set certain goals. I never met any of them — when I would come back, how I wanted to feel, where my pain level was. That was frustrating…when you go through something like that knowing that not too many players have recovered fully from something like that.
Q: Were you ever close to giving up?
MS: I’m not the type who ever gives up. Even though it was tough, I believed in myself. I give a lot of credit to my team. My parents. There are a lot of zigzags. A lot of times you feel it’s a dead end. You have to turn around and have a few other options. The navigation is not always correct…I don’t think there’s a certain point where you say, “Oh, I’m back.” I don’t have that much self-esteem. I don’t think anyone really does.
Q: How has your relationship with your dad changed now that he’s no longer your coach?
MS: My dad sacrificed so much. He never missed one practice, no matter if he was sick or didn’t want to be there or I was mad at him and gave him bad attitude…[and] told him to be quiet…My dad never thought that he knew everything in tennis…He never thought he was the guru. He always tried to take me to the best people possible. He would learn from them and gather all this information and then help me…[Now] I don’t tell him to be quiet that often anymore. He’s still my father and he’s someone who knows me the best…my mom, as well…When things wouldn’t go well or we’d have an argument, at the end of the day, we always ended with laughs at a dinner table. We’d go on to other things, or my mom would be pushing me for homework…We were living as a normal family. They could have had normal jobs and I could have gone to school. But they sacrificed their lives because they saw a talent…My mom couldn’t care less…His drive came from the fact that he never really thought that he didn’t have much. He kept believing that one day he would have more, even if it was one trophy, one more dollar, one victory.
Q: Talk about Chernobyl. Do you ever reflect on it and that your family was lucky to emerge from there?
MS: Of course. In life it’s so important to have a good perspective. At the end of the day, we’re athletes that hit a tennis ball for a living. We’re entertainers. We’re so fortunate… that we’re in a sport that, despite economic challenges, we’re able to make great money…[and] it’s rising. That says a lot about our sport. We’re just happy to be a part of it.
Q: Your family survived Chernobyl, and recently in Japan…
MS: It’s crazy and something that you can’t prepare for…It’s incredible that something like that can even happen. It opens your eyes and puts a lot of perspective in your life. I have very great memories from there…So to see what’s going on to its culture and people, it’s devastating…But once the radiation settles down…there’s going to be a recovery process. Ten years ago, if that happened you wouldn’t see such quick recovery efforts.
Q: So in some ways, are you a bit cautionary about nuclear…
MS: In the beginning my job was raising awareness to the world and getting the message across that even though that happened a long time ago, it still causes many people [problems] on a daily basis, especially families with kids that were born and now are having kids [and] you find that they have something in their body that’s not allowing them to live a normal life from the pollution. It’s unbelievable…[Chernobyl’s] completely deserted, everyone completely fled. They took their passports…That was the only belonging they really wanted.
Q: So as you came back from your injury, what have you learned about yourself?
MS: That you just do this for yourself. It’s about you, the ball and the racket. You’re trying to create something. You have…great people around you. But it’s really about your commitment and drive, whether you want it or not…If you wake up and don’t want it, then you’re never going to achieve anything.
Q: Could you put into words the feeling you get at that moment of triumph when you win a big tournament, that ecstasy? What floods through you at that moment?
MS: I’m getting goose bumps. It’s a special moment, because you’ve been practicing, and when you’re young it’s what you dream of, what you see on TV, the big trophies you dream of…The first thing that comes to mind are the days that were just so hard and you had to push through them…and it feels so good, because you fought. You never knew if you were going to have the chance to hold that trophy…[And] you never want to have that feeling of regret, like you had so many choices and you were never sure that this was the one you wanted to follow. It’s an incredible feeling.
Q: So what about your grunting. Is there somehow a martial arts element to it? Does it help you with your rhythm?
MS: I have no idea. I’ve done it since I started playing tennis. If you watch videos of me when I was five or six years old, my voice wasn’t as strong but I was grunting.
Q: If you hadn’t discovered tennis, what do you think you’d be doing?
MS: Finishing university…Maybe something with architecture…Ever since I was young I loved architecture, different types of buildings. I love the creative aspect of things, seeing it build up from a sketch to a real thing. That always fascinates me…I wanted to be a rhythmic gymnast when I was young, but when I grew, I knew that was out of the window.
Q: What is the one thing that you will look forward to once you’re done with tennis and you become a so-called normal person.
MS: Being able to go to the pharmacy and getting any medicine over the counter and not have to send it to the WTA physician and get an approval, even if it’s a Vitamin C.
Q: You’ve lived in Florida and now in California, how…
MS: California is younger and maybe fresher. It’s fun. I’ve been on vacation in different parts. Napa is actually one of my favorites.
Q: And if you could watch only one player.
MS: McEnroe. Just the entertainment part of things.
Q: What are your hopes for the U.S. Open?
MS: To win, to be a champion there again. Q: Do you think lifting a Grand Slam trophy now would have more meaning now than lifting the three before?
MS: Absolutely. When you’re put into a situation where you don’t quite know if you are going play tennis again and now you’re trying to beat players…Absolutely it would mean more.
