Maria Sharapova consoled Wang Xinyu after the Chinese teenager was forced to retire from their second-round match at the Shenzhen Open due to cramp.
Wang, the youngest player in the tournament at 17 years old, led 6-7(4) 5-2 when she withdrew on medical grounds with a bandage wrapped around her left thigh.
Before limping from the court, she was comforted by Sharapova as she received treatment, with the five-time grand slam winner declaring "cramps suck!"
Wang Xinyu gets some very special words of advice – from her idol @MariaSharapova ❤️#ShenzhenOpen pic.twitter.com/BeIU01zAZp — WTA (@WTA) January 2, 2019
Sharapova added: "You played unbelievable, OK? Unbelievable. Take care of yourself. If you play like that you're going to be number one, I promise."
Once the match had finished, the 31-year-old Russian had more encouraging words.
"Obviously it's a tough situation. It's not the way either of us want to finish the match, win or lose," Sharapova said.
The warmest moment on this cold winter day. #Shenzhenopen pic.twitter.com/t1z2SjiD4d — Shenzhen Open (@ShenzhenOpenWTA) January 2, 2019
"I thought Wang was absolutely the dominant player in this match and had all the opportunities to win it, even though I felt like I was finding my stride and getting a little bit closer to the line and being more aggressive.
"She has all the tools to play well and she showcased that. It's obviously a very unfortunate way to end the match."
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