Her tennis career was almost derailed after she gravely announced that she had failed a test for the newly banned drug meldonium during the Australian Open.
And Maria Sharapova, 30, has finally broken her silence on the controversy, as she admitted she felt ‘so small’ and just wanted to be treated like a ‘normal human being.’
Speaking to Net-A-Porter’s digital magazine THE EDIT, the Russian tennis ace added that facing up to her sporting rival Serena Williams made her feel like a ‘little girl’.
Scadal: Maria Sharapova, 30, has finally broken her silence on last year’s failed drugs test, as she admitted she felt ‘so small’ and just wanted to be treated like a ‘normal human being
Maria’s career hung in the balance last March, after she took a routine drugs test and failed it.
The blonde bombshell had taken meldonium for 10 years after her doctor recommended it for health problems including an irregular heartbeat, a magnesium deficiency and a family history of diabetes.
She and her team managed to miss the alerts that the drug had now been banned, leading to her failing the test.
Discussing the following scandal, she said: ‘I felt so small. For a woman who’s tall and powerful – an athlete – it was a very distant feeling.
Frank: Speaking about the scandal, ‘I faced so many days where I questioned people around me and what they thought; I’d never done that before’
‘I faced so many days where I questioned people around me and what they thought; I’d never done that before.
‘During the first four or five months [of the suspension], it was really hard for me to put words onto paper, or want any of the memories,’ she said.
She faced a two-year suspension, which was lifted nine months early after bosses found that she did not conceal her drug use.
Now Maria is returning to tennis and – looking on the bright side – she admitted that the ordeal has made her want to live life to the fullest.
Candid: Speaking to Net-A-Porter’s digital magazine THE EDIT , the Russian tennis ace added that facing up to her sporting rival Serena Williams made her feel like a ‘little girl’
‘I remember [an earlier] conversation I had with my manager, saying, “I love what I do, but I feel like there are so many aspects in my life that I’m missing out on,”‘ she recalled.
‘My 30th birthday was coming up in April and I said, “I just want to celebrate my birthday as a normal human being.” It’s as if God heard those words and said, “Oh, you want a normal 30th birthday? OK, I’ll give you 15 months of normalcy…!’
To see The EDIT’s full interview with Maria Sharapova go to www.net-a-porter.com/magazine/414/contents or download the free EDIT app at the App Store and Google Play.
She continued: ‘But after last year, it’s invigorating to be 30 and still have the passion for what I do. It was certainly a tough way to learn it, but I’m much more aware of what’s important to me; how I want to move through things and live.’
The Grand Slam champion also opened up about her rival Serena Williams – who is rumoured to have dated her ex-boyfriend of two years, Bulgarian player Grigor Dimitrov.
‘The first time I played against Serena was just a few months before I beat her at Wimbledon,’ she recalled.
‘I was blown away by her competitiveness, her physicality, her ability. She made me feel like a little girl – there are still times when she makes me feel like that.
‘People have talked about our relationship so much; we’re always put on these lists of who’s more marketable and who makes more money.
‘Even though we’ve had our battles on and off the court, I believe both of us have an amazing amount of respect for each other. I wish we were linked more than ranked, that’s the way that I see it.’
To see The EDIT’s full interview with Maria Sharapova go to www.net-a-porter.com/magazine/414/contents or download the free EDIT app at the App Store and Google Play.
In awe: She added: ‘I was blown away by her competitiveness, her physicality, her ability. She made me feel like a little girl – there are still times when she makes me feel like that’