© Getty Images Sport – Clive Brunskill
Maria Sharapova admitted she was a bit disappointed to lose to Serena Williams in the 2012 London Olympics and just narrowly miss out on the gold medal. Sharapova, a former world No 1, made her first and lone Olympic appearance in London 11 years ago.
In her Olympic debut, Sharapova made the final before Williams handed the Russian a 6-0 6-1 loss. That year, the Olympics were played on a grass surface and 2004 Wimbledon champion Sharapova returned home with the silver medal.
“It was the only Olympics that I competed in. I, of course, as an athlete, you want gold. I mean, I don’t know. There’s no other way to say it. Like in tennis, it’s either the champion’s trophy or it’s as if you weren’t there. But there was huge significance in that the feeling of being part of, like for a tennis player that plays so many events, it does almost take away the meaning of what the Olympics is because you’re just constantly going from one event to another.
And although the Majors are where you want to perform the best, the Olympics is at that level. But it’s once in four years so you move on to the next one. I won that silver medal. And I think I had to fly somewhere…
