Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams & earlier players were "very distant," says Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova; glad to see today's stars being more friendly

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova returned from a seven-month injury layoff at the Adelaide International 2 earlier this week, working off her knee injury with a first-round loss to Jil Teichmann. In doubles, however, the Russian partnered with reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina and went as far as the final before losing to Luisa Stefani and Taylor Townsend.

The former French Open finalist was overwhelmed by the reception she got from fans and fellow players on her comeback, especially seeing how the attitudes of her colleagues on tour has changed over the last two decades or so.

Now 31 years old, Pavlyuchenkova has been grinding it out on the tour for the last 17 years and is no stranger to getting the cold shoulder from fellow competitors.

Speaking in a recent interview with WTA Insider, the Russian recalled how her role models at the time - Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams, among others - were always "very distant" on the court. It led her to think that was how players had to be to survive as a tennis pro.

"When I was younger, we always had role models like [Maria] Sharapova, Serena [Williams], and most of them were very distant. And because they were doing so well, I thought that's the way I should be on the tennis courts and around the tour and everything," Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova said.

"So I was actually trying to copy them. Some of my ex-coaches were also telling me you have to always be lonely, keep distance between players, you can't be friendly with anybody because you might play against her."

While Pavlyuchenkova admitted that some players, like two-time Grand Slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova for instance, were different, she revealed that the majority of the tour made her feel "intimidated" at the time.

"From juniors, then I was 16, 17 when I came on tour and I was honestly shocked and intimidated a lot. Kuznetsova was different, she was one of the only ones who was friendly on tour back then. But a lot of players -- Chakvetadze, Zvonareva -- I was so intimidated," Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova said.

"When we would practice with each other I was afraid to miss the ball because I would get those looks like, 'What's wrong with you?' I didn't feel right. I didn't feel accepted."

But now, seeing fellow Russians Daria Kasatkina, Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev being friendly with each other is heartwarming for Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who also noted that she has started "learning" from them.

Seeing the current generation is a "totally different vibe" for the former World No. 11, who is of the opinion that their attitudes have made it easier to handle the stress and tension of tournaments.

"Now getting older and spending so much time around the tour, it's just not me. I'm very social. So why not be open? With Daria and the guys, that generation, I can tell the difference. They always chat in the locker room, in the restaurants," Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova said.

"They're super friendly on and off the court. I started learning a lot more from them and I also hang out a lot around them and it's just a totally different vibe. It's also easier to handle the stress and tension when you're at the tournament."

"I'm going to fight as hard as I can to climb back and grind" - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova at the 2020 Australian Open

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova also touched on her plans for the season during the interview, stating that she first needs to get some match wins under her belt to build up her confidence. The World No. 364 also promised that she would "fight" as hard as possible to climb up the rankings again, at the same time making sure that she was "positive" with herself and enjoying her time on tour.

"It's tough, because of course I need to build my confidence, build up with playing matches. I need to get some wins under my belt because that's the only way. I'm trying to be smart with this and be as positive as possible with myself and give myself time and the chance to also enjoy.

"That's the main focus right now. I'm going to fight as hard as I can to climb back and grind because I know it's not going to be easy and it's going to take some time," Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova said.