Despite being the world's highest-earning sportswoman, Russian No. 1 tennis player Maria Sharapova says she's proud to hail from a run-down Siberian town.
“I am really happy and proud of where I come from. It's fun to hear when they announce me and they don't just say born in Russia, they actually say I was born in Nyagan, Siberia,” said Sharapova, who moved to Florida with her father when she was seven.
“Every time I hear that, you can hear the crowd go 'whoa.' Like, I don't think people actually realize that's where I was born. When they say it I feel so proud."
“It's like when they say I've won a Grand Slam or been No. 1, when they say where I am from, I get goosebumps because I am so proud of coming from there and getting to the position I am in today.”
Moreover, staying in Russia would have prevented her becoming a professional player, Sharapova said.
“I have no idea who I would be now, what I would be doing. Probably, I’d have had a much more normal lifestyle, graduated from school and be working somewhere.”
Sharapova burst onto the scene when she won Wimbledon in 2004 despite being seeded 13th, a success she followed up with wins at the 2006 U.S. Open and 2008 Australian Open.
Her quest to complete the career Grand Slam with a first French Open title in 2012 will continue with a second-round tie against Ayumi Morita of Japan, ranked 88th in the world.
