Former five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova revealed she probably never felt as weak as the day after giving birth. Two weeks ago, Sharapova announced she and her fiance Alexander Gilkes welcomed their first child – a baby boy named Theodore.
Four weeks have passed since Sharapova gave birth and she has returned to doing light exercises. “Today marks four weeks since giving birth and two weeks since I started moving my body again. I don’t think my body had ever felt as weak as it did the day after birth so even these movements feel like I’ve come a long way.
Trying not to push it but I’ll let you know how that goes,” Sharapova wrote on Instagram.
Sharapova’s coach recalls the Sharapova-Serena Williams rivalry
Michael Joyce, who guided Sharapova to three of her five Grand Slam titles, said he felt Williams was the opponent Sharapova respected the most.
In 2004, Sharapova won two of her first three meetings versus Williams. Then happened what no one could have predicted – Sharapova never again beat Sharapova even though for many more years she was one of the best players in the world.
Williams won the last 19 meetings versus Sharapova and finished with a dominant 20-2 head-to-head versus the Russian. “I think ultimately, Maria probably had the most respect for Serena over any player,” Joyce said on Tennis Channel’s podcast.
I’m just saying this based on what I think. She never said it, but I just feel like Maria always felt that no matter who she was playing, she always had a shot. Sloane Stephens might be beating her, but Maria always felt like if she hung in there and if she was tough, she could turn it around.
But there was a point with Serena where it was just like Serena’s bringing her A game. I think Maria was pretty predictable in some ways about how she was playing and Serena went through that period for three to four years where she just blew her away.”
