"I didn't want the responsibility of being a role model"- When Maria Sharapova opened up about how her perception on fans changed

Maria Sharapova is among the finest players of her generation and enjoyed an illustrious career that saw her win all four Grand Slams.

The Russian remains a highly popular figure in tennis, who gained a lot of fans during her playing days. Sharapova wrote about her thoughts on fans in her book 'Unstoppable: My Life So Far', stating that she never wanted to shoulder the responsibility of being a role model.

“I grew a completely new understanding. When young girls and boys would say, I want to be like you, I would think, ‘No, you want to be better than me'. I didn’t want the responsibility of being a role model. Maybe it was a selfish thing," Maria Sharapova wrote.

The Russian also stated that she later understood from a fan's standpoint.

"I understand now from the fan’s point of view – that they live, that they breathe, that they have a life of their own and you are able to change their day, change their mind, change their mindset, to change how they wake-up in the morning and if they’re happy or not. That I never understood. Or never made the effort to," Sharapova wrote.

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Maria Sharapova won five Grand Slams throughout her career

Maria Sharapova in action at the 2020 Australian Open

Maria Sharapova won five Grand Slams throughout her career. The first of these came at Wimbledon in 2004 when she was only 17. The Russian defeated Serena Williams in what would be one of her only two wins in 22 matches against the American. In the same year, she won her sole title at the WTA Finals (then known as the WTA Tour Championships).

Sharapova won the US Open in 2006 and the Australian Open in 2008 before triumphing twice at the French Open in 2012 and 2014. Apart from her Major victories, the Russian also won 14 WTA 1000 titles. All in all, she won 36 singles titles, as well as an Olympic singles silver medal at the 2012 London Games.

Sharapova also reached the top of the WTA rankings and was the World No. 1 for a total of 21 weeks.

She announced her retirement from tennis in 2020, with that year's Australian Open being her last tournament. The Russian suffered a defeat to Donna Vekic in the opening round.

Sometime after her retirement, Maria Sharapova became a mother, giving birth to her son Theodore in July 2022