Victorious Sharapova jeered for refusing on-court TV interview
PARIS, France (AFP) — Defending champion Maria Sharapova reached the French Open second round yesterday, but was jeered by fans after she refused to carry out an on-court TV interview.
Second-seeded Sharapova defeated Estonian Kaia Kanepi 6-2, 6-4 to set up a clash against Russian Fed Cup teammate Vitalia Diatchenko.
But the 27-year-old irritated the Philippe Chatrier Court crowd by refusing to carry out the traditional on-court television pleasantries, claiming her voice was not strong enough.
She said she had been suffering from a cold, in a worrying repeat of last year when she was also sick in the run-up to Paris.
“I totally understand that everyone usually does the interviews and answers a few questions,” said Sharapova, who was also champion in 2012 and runner-up in 2013.
“It’s absolutely normal. I’m not making any excuses, but I’ve got to do what I have to do.”
There were no such problems for British third seed Andy Murray, twice a semi-finalist, who took his clay record this season to 11-0 with a 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 win over Argentine ‘lucky loser’ Facundo Arguello.
Murray, with clay court titles in Munich and Madrid, goes on to face either Canadian world number 53 Vasek Pospisil or Portugal’s 44th-ranked Joao Sousa.
Sloane Stephens ended 15th seed and fellow American Venus Williams’s 18th French Open at the first-round stage with a 7-6 (7/5), 6-1 victory.
With her 35th birthday in three weeks’ time, the defeat is certain to place a question mark over the future of seven-time major winner Williams, who was runner-up to sister Serena in 2002 but has not gone beyond the fourth round since 2006.
Former-world number two and 2012 Wimbledon runner-up Agnieszka Radwanska was also a shock first-round loser.
The Polish 14th seed, a quarter-finalist in 2013, went down 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 to Germany’s Annika Beck, a player she defeated 6-0, 6-0 when they met at Indian Wells last year.
The loss was only the third time in 34 Grand Slam tournaments that 26-year-old Radwanska had lost in the first round.
World number four Tomas Berdych, a 2010 semi-finalist, continued his solid clay court season with a 6-0, 7-5, 6-3 win over Japanese qualifier Yoshihito Nishioka, the world number 146.
Berdych will now face 36-year-old Davis Cup-winning teammate Radek Stepanek, who became the oldest man to win a match at Roland Garros since 38-year-old Jimmy Connors in 1991 when he saw off Croatian journeyman Ivan Dodig 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-1.
Spain’s 11th seed Feliciano Lopez was the biggest men’s casualty when he lost to Russian world number 74 Teymuraz Gabashvili, 6-3, 7-6 (11/9), 6-3.