Former world No. 2, Svetlana Kuznetsova, opened up about her interactions with five-time Grand Slam champion, Maria Sharapova.
“For a while, Maria Sharapova and I played together on the national team. However, it seemed challenging for her to play in Russia. I could relate to her in that sense.”
When asked if Sharapova`s mentality is more American due to her upbringing, Kuznetsova responded,
“I`ve never discussed it with her directly. But I believe her story is somewhat similar to mine. We left Russia, developed our tennis careers abroad, and then when you come back, those childhood memories, a sense of not being fully accepted, and a lack of belief in you can indirectly affect you. It also seemed very difficult for her to perform in Russia. I believe she won only one match out of the three or four she played in Russia.”
Continuing on Sharapova’s mentality, Kuznetsova elaborated,
“We interacted a bit, but Maria always kept to herself. During national team events, we communicated slightly more, but not closely. Yes, her mentality is definitely more American. For example, when we discussed something like a Birkin bag, she genuinely couldn`t understand the fuss. But overall, she is very friendly, and I understand why she created a barrier around herself – because so many people want something from her,” Kuznetsova said in the Smol Talk podcast hosted by Fedor Smolov.
