The high profile coaching partnership between world number three Maria Sharapova and tennis legend Jimmy Connors got off with a rocky start this week after the Russian tennis superstar was eliminated at the ongoing Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati by American Sloane Stephens in the second round. In a match full of unforced errors from both players, it was Stephens who prevailed 2-6, 7-6, 6-3 after the American amped up her game while she was trailing 0-2 in the second set.
“Obviously I didn’t lose today because I didn’t implement what we were working on,” Sharapova said during the post match interview.
“So, obviously, it’s tough to lose at this stage but just got to keep working hard and keep moving forward,” she added.
This was Sharapova’s first match since her second round loss at Wimbledon. The Russian skipped the first half of the North American hardcourt season, including the Rogers Cup in Toronto last week as she was recuperating from an injured hip. During that period, she announced that she has hired Connors as her new coach.
“I stopped being patient and I started making a lot more errors, errors that I shouldn’t make,” the Russian said.
“Obviously I haven’t played in a long time but I can’t make that excuse for myself because I’ve got to be ready from the first match. So it’s obviously disappointing, but that’s the way it goes in this game.”
