‘You Have to Always Be Lonely’- Russian Tennis Player Gets Real on How Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova Dictated the Way Friendships Work on the WTA Tour

The American tennis legend, Serena Williams and the Russian tennis legend, Maria Sharapova have given the tennis realm some of the most remarkable and miraculous performances on the court. Notably, the current generation of players on the WTA tour has regarded them as their role models. But, the Russian tennis player, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova doesn’t fall into the same category of players who regard Williams and Shaparapova as ‘great’ role models.

The 31 years old made the surprising revelation after she came back on the tour from a horrible knee injury. Pavlyuchenkova further revealed how she was wrongly influenced after witnessing their attitude toward other players. She also said that she tried “to copy them” but it didn’t go very well for her.

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova on Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova as her role models

The Russian tennis player has finally made a comeback on the tour after a long absence due to a knee injury. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova was quite amused when she got a warm reception from her fans and fellow competitors at Adelaide International. She was later asked about the same during an interview with the WTA Insider.

Pavlyuchenkova answered by mentioning her role models, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova. She said, “When I was younger, we always had role models like Sharapova, Serena, and most of them were very distant.”

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The 31 years old went on to say that they were going so well during that period. It further made her think that “being distant” will also help her make a mark on the tour. Notably, Pavlyuchenkova said that she tried “to copy them.”

Even some of her former coaches also influenced her by saying “you have to always be lonely, keep distance between players.”

They further told her to keep a distance from fellow competitors on the tour because she might be playing against them. Consequently, it affected Pavlyuchenkova’s attitude toward others as she felt quite “intimidated” by them.

Pavlyuchenkova also revealed how current-generation players are different

When it comes to the current-generation players, Pavlyuchenkova has a different opinion about the same. She stated that her fellow Russian tennis players like Daria Kasatkina are a lot different from that generation. The 31 years old went on to reveal that they are quite conversational and talkative. They are also very friendly whether in the locker room or in other places like restaurants.

Pavlyuchenkova further stated that she has started learning a lot more from them. She added that she also likes to hang out a lot around them. It further helps her to handle the pressure of the tournaments.

What do you think of Pavlyuchenkova’s comparison of the players? Let us know in the comments section.

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