Sharapova reveals how she learned vulnerability and how to open up

Russian tennis star Sharapova says she learnt to open up during the 15-month doping ban

Russia tennis beauty Maria Sharapova has said that it was during her 15-month doping ban (after testing positive for meldonium, which was added to the list of banned substances at the start of 2016), that she learnt about vulnerability and opening up.

When Fortune magazine's Pattie Sellers asked Sharapova what was her low point in her career, she replied: "The suspension definitely. I was always so determined and focused. That phase was a learning lesson for me. Everyone saw me as a person who had a tough shield around me. During the ban, I learnt about vulnerability and opening up. It was during that time I learnt what sharing your feelings is like and how it connects you in a completely different level than you imagine yourself to go through."

Meanwhile, she added that it was during the same phase she understood the value of the sport. "When you get into the sport at a very young age, it becomes repetitive. You do not understand the deeper meaning to it. It was during the ban that my connection to the sport grew. I knew the reason why I wake up every day and enjoy doing the same thing," she remarked.

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