Maria Sharapova was one of the brightest young talents in professional tennis when she secured her first Wimbledon title at the age of 17.
The Russian performer defeated Serena Williams on Centre Court and it’s perhaps a travesty that she never won more titles at the All England Club.
Sharapova did kick on after winning that crown and claimed four further Grand Slam titles, winning the French Open twice and the Australian Open and US Open.
The 2012 Roland Garros title was a special one for Sharapova and it ended a four-year wait for one and silenced the critics who had started to circle.
Sharapova would win the crown again two years later in Paris and there was never any doubt over whether or not she could do it on the clay.
Maria Sharapova made brutal comments about Sara Errani
Her little-known opponent in the final on the opposite side of the net for her first French Open win was Italian player Errani.
The former world number five is actually still on the tour and currently ranks at 105 in the WTA rankings.
Sharapova wasn’t impressed with Errani, it would seem and in her autobiography, titled ‘Unstoppable’, she dug out the player.
The Russian said: “I played Sara Errani in the final. If you’re playing Errani in a Grand Slam final, you could say it’s a good draw (especially when you see her eating a Mars chocolate bar an hour before the match), it was crazy!
But that’s dangerous thinking. Everyone knows how an athlete competes as an underdog. Errani is an Italian player, around my age and was just breaking through in the first major success of her career.”
Errani never came as close to a Grand Slam title
This defeat seemed to give Errani a little bit of momentum and in the next Grand Slam at the US Open in 2012, she did manage to reach the semis.
However, that was as good as it got.
A quarter-final at the Australian Open in the same year is her best finish in Melbourne and grass wasn’t her thing either, with the third round on two occasions, the best she managed at Wimbledon.
Errani’s pre-match preparation was quite clearly different to that of Sharapova, with a Mars bar clearly not in her bag for snacking purposes.
Tennis is a cruel mistress at times and these comments from Sharapova showcase just how brutal she could be about her fellow opponents sometimes.
The 6-3, 6-3 victory was comfortable for Sharapova in 2012 and her winning mentality served her well during her glittering career.