16th-ranked Maria Sharapova sailed through her first-round match of the 2011 Australian Open against the alluringly alliterative Tamarine Tanasugarn of Thailand, only to be confronted with a hairier obstacle in her post-match press conference: A New Zealand-based journalist who’s been making a charming habit of asking uncomfortably personal questions at her press appearances. Already infamous for informing her at the Auckland Classic that, “It’s not stalking if you love someone,” James McOnie proceeded to make things so much worse:
Australian Open 2011: Maria Sharapova’s Stalker Not A Stalker, Says Stalker
He first bobbed up at the Auckland Open, then took his place in the media room at Rod Laver Arena after player training sessions.
Following her defeat of Thai Tamarine Tanasugarn in the first round, the man accused Sharapova of calling him a stalker - to which she replied: “Yes.”
When he asked if she had had a problem with a stalker before, she said: “Not until you, no.”
The man then unfurled a cardboard sign on which he had scrawled: “I am not a stalker.”
PRO TIP FOR STALKERS OF PRETTY WOMEN IN THE PUBLIC EYE: Get a sign that reads, “I am not a stalker.” Should clear up any misunderstandings right away!
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