Maria Sharapova failed to win the Fed Cup as Russia lost to defending champions Czech Republic in Prague, but she did her patriotic duty and said she enjoyed it.
World No4 Sharapova won both singles matches, beating 11th-ranked Karolina Pliskova in straight sets on Saturday and sixth-ranked Petra Kvitova in a three-set thriller on Sunday.
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“Personally it’s an incredible achievement for me because I’ve never been in a Fed Cup final and I won two of my matches,” Sharapova said. After winning five majors, Sharapova is still seeking two other global trophies – the Fed Cup and Olympic gold.
“There’s no better feeling than being out on the court having so many people fly here from Russia to support you,” said Sharapova who has lived in Florida since she was seven.
“In an event like this you’re just not playing for yourself, you’re playing for your team-mates, for your country. It’s a very unique feeling and it’s so special.”
Yet questions over her team spirit continue to follow her. She has played only five Fed Cup ties since earning professional status in April 2001, two of which were this year.
A decade ago, she was involved in a rift with her team-mate and now Russia captain Anastasia Myskina, who threatened to boycott Fed Cup if Sharapova was selected for the Russian team, complaining about her father’s behaviour in the stands.
Myskina also slammed Sharapova for being “more American than Russian,” accusing her of speaking Russian “with a coarse accent.”
Girlzzzzz pic.twitter.com/i08kjvMBpe
— Maria Sharapova (@MariaSharapova) November 15, 2015
This week, Myskina waved the spat aside, saying she was happy to have Sharapova on the team.
“Definitely it’s very important to have Maria on the team and I want to say thank you,” Myskina said.
But after the Fed Cup final, she declined to comment on Sharapova’s presence on the team.
“We lost. That’s the end of the story,” she said.
Adding fuel to the fire, Czech media claimed Sharapova had shunned the rest of the team and stayed in a different Prague hotel to the others.
“Is that a serious question? Next question,” Sharapova snapped.
