Points of

Comparison/Contrast.

Santosh Yadav

Maria Sharapova

(1) Their humble beginning

-Born in the small village of Joniyawas in Rewari district of Haryana

-Poised beyond her years

-The Siberian born teenager

(2) Their parents' approach

-in line with the prevailing customs in the family

-At sixteen, most of the girls in her village used to get married. Santosh was also under pressure from her parents to do the same.

-she was packed off to train in the United States.

-That trip to Florida with her father Yuri launched her on the path to success and stardom.

-But it also required a heart-wrenching two-year separation from her mother Yelena.

-My father was working as much as he could to keep my tennis training going

(3) Their will power and strong desire to succeed

-her urge for more education

-she left home and got herself enrolled in a school in Delhi

-saved money and enrolled in a course at Uttarkashi’s Nehru
Institute of Mountaineering

-I became more quietly determined and mentally tough

-unwavering desire to succeed and readiness to sacrifice

-I work hard at what I do

(4) Evidence of their mental toughness

-she began living her life on her own terms from the start

-she decided to fight the system in her own quiet way when the right moment arrived

-mental strength impressed her seniors

-I learnt how to take care of myself

-I never thought of quitting because I knew what I wanted

-That toughness runs through Maria even today

(5) Their patriotism.

-It took some time for the enormity of the moment to sink in

-Then I unfurled the Indian tricolor and held it aloft on the roof of the world. The feeling is indescribable. The Indian flag was flying on top of the world. It was truly a spiritual moment. I felt proud as an Indian.

-I’m Russian. It’s true that the U.S. is a big part of my life. But I have Russian citizenship. My blood is totally Russian. I will play the Olympics for Russia if they want me.