Russia won its third Fed Cup title in four years the last Sunday, but the team had an unexpected participant. Maria Sharapova, currently with an injured shoulder and who has never played a Fed Cup for Russia before, was cheering up the team from the sidelines, wore the team’s uniform and even celebrated the victory walking with the team around the court, holding a Russian flag.
But her teammates and active players of the Russian team in the Cup put her loyalty and her reasons to be on the tournament to question, as the players that are not available for the Fed Cup can’t play the Olympics.
The world’s number two, Svetlana Kuznetsova said: “I don't know why she came. She said she wanted to help our preparation and be our practice partner but, to me, if you can't play how then can you practice? And then, after Russia’s victory when she was asked for Sharapova’s role as a supporter, replied: “Oh please, don't ask me that question again. I had enough already."
Despite Sharapova’s absence in the court, Russia showed that they have a very strong team, leaded by Kutnetsova and world’s number five Anna Chakvetadze, who also was very sincere about Sharapova’s presence in the cup: “If you haven't played Fed Cup all year, it wouldn't be fair just to show up for the final," she said. "It's not fair to all the other girls who committed themselves to the team's cause."
This was going to be Sharapova’s debut in the Fed Cup, but she couldn’t play due to her injury and therefore, both teammates and local media, questioned her arrival to the tournament and said that all was part of her PR campaign and intended to boost her popularity in Russia.
However, team’s captain Shamil Tarpishchev said that he pays no attention to those comments and that the top players always have an ego, but what counts is what they do in the court. “I've always been fair to my players and I always invite the ones who are in better form at the moment," he said.
Now Sharapova’s task is to convince her teammates that she truly desires to play for Russia.
