TENNIS coach, Nick Bollettieri, who trained a number of Grand Slam champions and helped former world number one, Maria Sharapova, be the player that she was, insists that the former tennis star was absolutely committed and dedicated to training.
The five Grand Slam title holder, who had retired at the beginning of the 2020 season, “was distinct from very young”, Nick said when reminiscing about the day she arrived at his Florida tennis academy at the age of eight.
“Aged 11 or 12 she was running her own show, on court, desperate to get to work every day. I’d arrive to take a session and she’d give me a look that said: ‘Let’s just get this frickin’ ball game started!’.
“Maria didn’t like a lot of talk. Everything was business for her. She was never satisfied − and to be a repeat champion − is to never be satisfied.
“The Williams sisters were the same. They had physical abilities beyond compare, but it was focus, not letting outside distractions overtake you − that kept them so dominant for so long.”
On the other hand, Maria praised world number two, Naomi Osaka, for her courage to speak publicly about her mental health since the French Open and believes that the Japanese tennis professional is a good person.
"We all need to be incredibly supportive of athletes, who are going through tough times, in their careers. Naomi is an incredible athlete and a beautiful human being, who has a very long career ahead of her.
"We all need to respect the decisions that players make at times of vulnerability, when they're feeling down or not playing their best tennis. To be honest, not many people know what's going on behind-the-scenes and how players feel," Maria said.
“You only see the tennis game and what happens on the court. The more support that we can provide, the better they will be and the better that they will play." – Agencies, September 22, 2021
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