Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova has said feared she was pregnant when she contracted a stomach bug earlier this month.
Sharapova withdrew from the Canadian Open with the illness, shortly after losing the Olympic women’s singles final 6-0, 6-1 to Serena Williams on August 4.
The pain from the illness encouraged Sharapova to seek a blood test, as well as an ultrasound scan, commonly used to examine pregnant women.
“It was really weird. They told me I was fine, not pregnant. I'm like, 'Can I get my money back?,’” she said on the U.S. Open website Monday.
Sharapova’s response was “dramatic”, she admitted.
The Russian is engaged to former NBA basketball player Sasha Vujacic, but the pair have yet to announce a date for the wedding.
Sharapova’s U.S. Open campaign started with a straightforward 6-2, 6-2 win over Melinda Czink of Hungary on Monday.
The U.S. Open is the last of the four Grand Slam tournaments this season, and Sharapova said she would give it her all.
“This is the last big one,” she said. “This is kind of where you have to put all your energy.”
“Even though it's not the last tournament of the year, you feel like this is where you can put all the work and effort into this one big event.”
Sharapova has been ranked No. 3 in the world since the Olympics, behind only Victoria Azarenka and Agnieszka Radwanska.
