Maria Sharapova admits the only things that helped her survive a gruelling battle to recover from persistent shoulder problems was her love of cooking and a good book.
Maria Sharapova admits the only things that helped her survive a gruelling battle to recover from persistent shoulder problems was her love of cooking and a good book.
Sharapova will be one of the main attractions at Wimbledon next week after finally returning to action following 10 months on the sidelines.
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But during the long and painful months of rehabilitation, Sharapova occasionally questioned if she would ever get back to full fitness.
It those moments of despair she would take her mind off the injury by burying her head in a book or trying to cook her grandmother's recipe for dumplings.
"It's one thing to say your shoulder is healed but it is another going out there and playing. I'm not saying it is easy," Sharapova told the Sun.
"There were three times when I was going to come back and everything went down the tubes. Finally I said, 'I don't care what tournament it is, I just want to be fit'.
"My grandmother taught me lots of Russian dishes to cook. Dumplings with fillings, Russian borscht that's a tough one. I also spend a lot of time reading books.
"When you have tough times, you really know who your friends are. The close ones, who are your supporters.
"People come and go and not everyone knows who you really are. But I have known my coach since I was a girl and my manager has been with me since I was about nine."
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