"Journalists come in, there’s no boundaries" - When Maria Sharapova revealed the truth about how she deals with 'sexist' questions at interviews

Maria Sharapova is one of the most popular tennis players of all time, at times even considered the face of the sport. For 10 years in a row, between 2005 and 2014, she was the highest-paid women's athlete in the world, overtaking the likes of Serena Williams and Venus Williams.

Part of that was due to her endorsement deals, which came with their own set of media responsibilities. Added to the fact that Sharapova also had to do press conferences and promotions for the WTA in the middle of tournaments, the Russian spent a lot of time in front of the camera.

Speaking in an interview with Glamour Magazine in June 2019, the former World No. 1 shed light on that particular aspect of her life. Responding to a question about how she dealt with 'sexist' questions, Maria Sharapova admitted that such questions were not rare in the sport at the time, with journalists often having no boundaries when it came to asking about her personal life.

"I’ve been prepared ever since I was young. With tennis we have to go to a press conference whether we’ve won or lost with every single match. Journalists can come in there and there’s no boundaries, guide or rulebook. They can ask you whatever you want whether it’s professional or personal. Sometimes you go in after a match and you don’t get one question about the match," Maria Sharapova said.

At the same time, the five-time Slam champ insisted that it was part and parcel of an athlete's life at the end of the day. From her perspective, it was always better to keep a professional air and answer such questions as well as possible, instead of complaining about facing the press.

"I’m there to try and win a tournament but that’s a very small part of it. You have to go in there and be professional. Questions can get tricky and they might not fall in line with what you have prepared for them to ask you and that’s ok. That’s how life is. You get things thrown at you and you have to deliver and accept them," she added.

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"There’s more important things in life we have to worry about" - Maria Sharapova

Maria Sharapova, evian global ambassador, celebrates the evian x Balmain pop-up hosted at the Rosewood Montecito - Source: Getty

During the interview, Maria Sharapova also stated her belief that athletes had more important things to worry about in life than a 'sexist' question faced in the press, considering it would barely last a few minutes in their day.

While Sharapova maintained that there were times when interviews could make one uncomfotable, she urged her fellow athletes to face them bravely and give their perspective truthfully.

"If you look at the trajectory of an athlete’s career, it’s such a small part of our life. 10 or 15 minutes later, you go home and you’re with your family or loved one is sick, there’s more important things in life we have to worry about. Yes, you get faced with questions that are uncomfortable or you don’t feel good about, but you have to face them and give them your perspective," Maria Sharapova said.

After a successful career that saw her win five singles Grand Slams and 35 WTA titles overall, Sharapova retired in 2020 after nearly two decades as a tennis pro.