Maria Sharapova suffered a shocking defeat in the second round of Wimbledon to fellow Russian, Alla Kudryavtseva, who is ranked 154th in the world.  What has made Sharapova such a great champion is how she handles these defeats.  30 minutes after her loss, Sharapova had this to say:

“…over my career, even though it's been pretty young, I still have many years ahead of me. I've had to deal with a lot of ups and a lot of downs on and off the court, and I have the experience behind me.  But I think the number one thing is not be discouraged by that, not be discouraged by losses or by negative things, things here and there.  You have to find a way to keep your head up even though it's pretty tough, because you put the effort in and you work hard and you dedicate yourself every single day to be a better player and a better professional.  Sometimes, you know, the work doesn't pay off till you never know when. I don't know when that work's gonna pay off.  I had a great off-season, came into Australia, and played really great tennis. Match in, match out, I felt great, was playing better and better. Things just worked out. Sometimes, you know, I've had experiences where I've done the same thing.  I've come into a tournament and results don't just come. It's not just for me. It's for everybody. Everybody goes through it. Everybody, you know, has those moments.  But, you know, I'm experienced enough to know that life goes on and that there are a lot worse things in life that can happen than losing a tennis match, even if it's at Wimbledon and even if it means a lot to me. There are a lot worse things.  I still have the desire, even 30 minutes after the match, to go back on court and to get better, 'cause that's the only thing that's gonna get me to hold that plate again.”

Clearly, this match was a devastating loss for Sharapova, but one hopes that the maturity and attitude expressed in her post-match comments will help her to move past it as she prepares for the Beijing Olympics and U.S. Open later this summer.   Maria Sharapova exemplifies the meaning of the words that Rudyard Kipling wrote in his poem “If” which are quoted on the wall above the players’ entrance to Centre Court at Wimbledon, “If you can meet with triumph and disaster and treat those two impostors just the same.”