Maria Sharapova: "I'm Russian"  12/28/05

Tennis ace Maria Sharapova hates it when fans think she's an American because she's committed to her Russian homeland.

The former Wimbledon champ recently returned to Russia for the first time since her English tennis victory in 2004 and was astonished with the support for her - that made her proud of her roots.

Sharapova admits she has been conflicted because she has been working and living in America since she was seven.

She explains, "It was chaotic, crazy. I haven't been back in like two or three years, since I won Wimbledon so it was really exciting for the country to see me.

"It was cool for me to see the country again... They take you as more of an athlete, whereas you're not just an athlete here (in America).

"I'll always feel that I have Russian blood inside me, but my career has been in America since I was seven-years-old."