Maria Sharapova shares phone number with fans to kill their boredom

Maria Sharapova

Former Russian tennis ace Maria Sharapova shared her mobile number with her 12 million-plus social media (8.6 million on Twitter and 3.9 million on Instagram) followers to help break their boredom during the ongoing Coronavirus-caused lockdown.

"Not only did I just get a 310 number, but I'm also sharing it with you - Text me! 310-564-7981. For real. Tell me how you're doing, ask me questions, or just say hello. Any great recipes welcome too," Sharapova, 32, who retired from the sport in February, wrote on Monday.

In a video posted on her social media handles, she added: "Hello everyone, happy Friday, whatever that means in today's world. I've been trying to find a way to be in touch with you because last week I did a really fun Q&A on video conference with 150 of you. I wanted more. A big part of that is because we're all in this social distancing together, so I want you to text me what you think." The five-time Grand Slam winner's mobile got so busy thereafter that she took to Twitter to announce that she had received over 2.2 million views within 40 hours.

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