The controversy started when the cricket icon was spotted in the royal box alongwith former England skipper Andrew Strauss and England soccer star David Beckham on Saturday and a reporter later asked Sharapova, "do you know who Sachin is", to which she replied, "I don't."
For fanatical Tendulkar fans though, this was an insult they could not tolerate. They took to social media like crazy bees and over 50,000 comments were posted on the official Facebook page of Sharapova by Thursday afternoon.
Others used foul languauge and made threats, while Twitter users took up the toungue-in-cheek #whoismariasharapova hashtag which began trending.
The most bizarre one showed Sachin Tendulkar touching the pitch and taking "it's blessing" while Sharapova is shown stretching her right leg on the net. The text under the picture read -- "Dear Maria Sharapova this is Sachin Tendulkar who respects his sport. Learn something."
"Say Sorry to Sachin Say Sorry to Sachin Say Sorry to Sachin Say Sorry to Sachin ...," was one fan's reaction.
Tendulkar has been a regular in the royal box of the Wimbledon for over a decade. Swiss ace Roger Federer had also met Tendulkar, a few years back at the Wimbledon arena and had posted a pic of him with the legendary cricketer on his Twitter account to make the meeting public and an honour for the tennis star.
You’ve reached your limit of {{free_limit}} free articles this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
Already subscribed? Log in
Subscribe to read the full story →
Smart Quarterly
₹900
3 Months
₹300/Month
Smart Essential
₹2,700
1 Year
₹225/Month
Super Saver
₹3,900
2 Years
₹162/Month
Renews automatically, cancel anytime
Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans
Exclusive premium stories online
Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors


Complimentary Access to The New York Times
News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic
Business Standard Epaper
Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share


Curated Newsletters
Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox
Market Analysis & Investment Insights
In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor


Archives
Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997
Ad-free Reading
Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements


Seamless Access Across All Devices
Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app
