Maria Sharapova has been copping it from everywhere of late.
The tennis superstar has returned to the court after a 15-month drugs suspension and not everyone is happy about it. Fellow players have shamed her and blasted tennis officials for facilitating her smooth passage back into the sport, and journalists have constantly been asking prickly questions about her delicate situation.
But it was something else that stumped Sharapova during a press conference after her first round win over Christina McHale at the Italian Open in Rome.
Bizarrely, the topic of conversation between her and a male reporter drifted towards her love life – or lack thereof.
The exchange between the pair started innocently enough, as she answered a question about how comfortable she is in her third tournament back from suspension.
“I feel like every match or every day I learn a little bit more and things are coming back to me about the way that I feel and the way I get ready for a match and my habits on match days and those things,” Sharapova said.
“Now you’re back in the groove of things and I’m enjoying being back in these cities and waking up in Rome and waking up in Madrid and I’m a happy person.”
Then things got weird.
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The journalist questioned if Sharapova could be happy without a boyfriend before she turned the tables, suggesting perhaps he would be the one better off with a male companion.
Sharapova’s face and the reaction of other journalists in the room told the story of just how awkward the situation was. Fortunately, the WTA uploaded a video of the incident to its Facebook page for all to see.
Sharapova wasn’t buying what this reporter was selling, unlike one occasion at the Australian Open in 2014 when she was so impressed with one Aussie journo she completely forgot what he’d asked because she was too busy admiring him.