Sharapova taking 'high road' after latest Bouchard barbs
Maria Sharapova says she will continue to try and take the "high road" in response to critics who oppose her inclusion on the women's professional tennis circuit.
Eugenie Bouchard has been the most vocal opponent of Sharapova and the Canadian recently admitted she had no regrets about labelling the Russian "a cheater" following her return to tennis from a drugs ban.
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Writing a first-person editorial piece for The Players' Tribune, Sharapova said she'd made a conscious decision not to let the critics get to her.
"I'm aware of what many of my peers have said about me, and how critical of me some of them have been in the press," Sharapova wrote.
"If you're a human being with a normal, beating heart, you know … I don't think that sort of thing will ever fully be possible to ignore. And I don't think it will ever not be weird or hurtful to go through.
"But at the same time … I've always tried to keep a generous attitude toward critics in general - whoever they are, and whenever they've been there.
"I've never wanted to respond to the people trashing me by trashing them back; that's always been important to me. I've always wanted to respond by showing grace - something I learned from my mom, one of the most graceful and elegant people I know.
"I've always wanted to face my critics by simply taking the high road."
Bouchard slammed Sharapova ahead of the Russian's return from a 15-month doping ban earlier this year after she tested positive for meldonium during the 2016 Australian Open.
The pair then faced each other in a fiery clash at the Madrid Open, with Bouchard winning after branding the five-time Grand Slam champion a "cheater."
Bouchard was recently asked about the feud and says she has no regrets over her comments.
"I was asked a question and I couldn't answer it not honestly so for me, that's how I try to be," Bouchard told Sportsnet.
Bouchard re-iterated the fact that she is well backed by others on the WTA Tour and believes others were "afraid to speak up".
"There were a lot [of messages] that day and I really felt a lot of support within the tennis community as well," she said.
"Players, coaches, agents, people from around the world who weren't necessarily there who were just saying I'm glad you said that, I support you and I agree with you and I just realised a lot of people were maybe afraid to speak up. That's how I am, so.
Bouchard also emphasised the point that the extra motivation allowed her to win the grudge match.
"Once I was on the court I put everything else to the side and I just wanted to play as well as I could," she said.
"I definitely had a bit of extra motivation to kind of do it for all of us who have been fair to the sport and who have played the sport in the true way it’s meant to be played."
Sharapova recently said she has not set her sights on qualifying for the US Open, with her injury-punctured tennis comeback yet to take in a grand slam
The former world No.1 was denied a wildcard for the French Open and has not played since May's Rome Masters.
Sharapova played on US soil for the first time since her suspension over the weekend at a World Team Tennis event in San Diego. She holds a 5-3 record on the WTA Tour since returning in Stuttgart in April.
with Ominsport