"In tennis, it's not a silver medal and that's worse" - Maria Sharapova reflects on how losing taught her career lessons

Maria Sharapova recently shed light on what losing taught her during her career. She also said that players finishing second in tennis events not receiving a silver medal further compounded the misery of losing a final.

According to the five-time Grand Slam champion, while losing meant going back to the drawing board and having tough conversations, winning just resulted in moving on with high-fives. Sharapova also explained how it felt to lose a Grand Slam final, with tens of thousands of people watching the trophy ceremony while the runner-up is crying and upset.

"In what other sport is the losing team out there, or the losing individual getting a runners-up trophy while tens of thousands of people are watching you as you're crying, upset and sad. You've gone that far. In tennis, it's not a silver medal, you've lost or you've won and that's worse," Sharapova said on the latest episode of the Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard podcast.

The 36-year-old, who turned professional at the age of 14, also said she learned from her dad and from her own experiences that losing set you up for winning.

"I have always thought that losing, and perhaps, that is a lesson that my dad taught me, perhaps it's something that I learned along the way, but I think losing sets you up for winning," she added.

"When you win a match you high-five your team and you kind of move on to the next. But it's when you lose that you go back to the drawing board. You huddle with your team, you have the tough conversations," Maria Sharapova continued.

Recalling the five Grand Slam titles that Maria Sharapova won

Sharapova with her coach after winning the 2014 French Open title

Maria Sharapova won a total of five Grand Slams during her career. The former World No. 1 created a stir by getting the better of two-time defending champion Serena Williams in the 2004 Wimbledon final.

Her sensational maiden Grand Slam title at SW19 was followed by a second a couple of years later, when she got the better of Justine Henin in the 2006 US Open final.

Sharapova won her third Grand Slam title when she defeated Ana Ivanovic in the 2008 Australian Open final. She completed a career Grand Slam when she won the French Open title for the first time in 2012. Sharapova achieved the feat by defeating Italy's Sara Errani in the summit clash.

Sharapova won her fifth and final Grand Slam title at the 2014 French Open, beating Romania's Simona Halep in the final.