Maria Sharapova's comments not disrespectful: Sachin Tendulkar

Andrew Strauss and Sachin Tendulkar in the royal box on centre court on day six of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club at Wimbledon on June 28, 2014 in London, England.

Legendary Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar, in response to queries asking him about tennis star Maria Sharapova’s comments during a Wimbledon match at London, England, last month that she did not know him, has said that it shouldn’t be taken as “disrepectful”, as the Russian may not follow cricket.

IBNlive quoted the 41-year-old as saying, “Comment was not disrespectful, maybe she doesn't follow cricket.”

Sharapova sparks controversy

Tendulkar, England footballer David Beckham and golf player Ian Poulter were all present at the Royal Box in Wimbledon to watch German Angelique Kerber playing Sharapova in a fourth round fixture of the Grand Slam event.

Following her shock defeat in the match, acknowledging Beckham’s presence, the five-time major champion said: "I've actually met him a couple times at events in LA and in London. He is a great guy. Besides being an incredible football player, he has done so much in his career, having a family, maintaining so many things off the court.

“He is a really nice person to chat to. We're not best friends or anything, but it's nice to be able to say hello and congratulate each other on achievements we've had in our careers and so on."

And, then, the presenter was quick to ask about Tendulkar, to which she blatantly said: “I don't.”

The 27-year-old’s comments sparked a huge controversy on social media, with a number of Indian cricket fans, angered at her reply, resorting to posting hate messages for Sharapova, altered pictures and memes, which ended up in making #whoisSharapova a trending topic on Twitter.