Maria Sharapova’s absence from Wimbledon as a result of her two-year doping ban hasn’t exactly been keenly felt by her fellow pros.
Despite winning just six Grand Slam titles compared with Serena Williams’ 22, Sharapova’s celebrity and earning power on the women’s tour was unrivalled and she regularly outstripped the American on the list of sport’s highest paid athletes.
But the poster girl of women’s tennis was far from popular among her peers — and not, it seems, due to her earning power. ‘She’s a totally unlikeable person,’ was Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova’s blunt assessment. ‘I don’t miss her on the tour. Arrogant, conceited and cold.
‘When I sit beside her in the locker room, she won’t even say hello,’ the 2014 Australian Open finalist added.
The unimpressed face pulled by the third seed, Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska, when asked if Sharapova was irreplacable was equally telling. ‘I think we have so many other good players, so many other women playing great tennis, so many other good matches, I think the women’s is still going to be a great event,’ she said.
Sharapova’s former coach Nick Bollettieri, however, insists Wimbledon is poorer without the presence of the former champion in the draw. ‘Maria brought elegance and beauty,’ Bollettieri told Sportsmail, ‘But I think most of all she stood in with the tradition of elegance and respecting Wimbledon and all it has given to the world.’ – Daily Mail