Maria Sharapova feels for Japan due to similarities with Chernobyl disaster

Maria Sharapova draws similarities between Chernobyl and Japan

Maria Sharapova said she feels for the plight of the Japanese people struck by multiple disasters, especially the ongoing nuclear crisis there because it is similar to the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986.

The mother of the three-time Grand Slam champion was pregnant with her only child when the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine blew up and contaminated wide regions in the former Soviet Union and Europe.

She and the tennis star's father were in Gomel, Belarus about 80 miles from Chernobyl when disaster struck. For her background, Maria Sharapova was picked as a United Nations goodwill ambassador to help the affected Chernobyl area.

"It's crazy and something that you can't even prepare for," she said during a conference at the BNP Paribas Open, wearing a 25th year anniversary shirt of the Chernobyl accident. "It happens, and you see the coverage on it and the videos and it's really incredible that something like that can even happen in the world."

A potential nuclear meltdown in Japan is being prevented by Japanese scientists after cooling systems failed after the earthquake struck. Nuclear experts said the situation has worsened but believe the danger will not be as severe as what happened in Chernobyl.

Maria Sharapova drew attention to the lingering effects of radiation from the Chernobyl incident to people in the area 25 years later. She also lamented about the situation in Japan.

"It's a country where I have very great memories from. I started playing there when I was very young, and I always loved my experiences there. So to see it going on there to its culture and the people, it's really sad," added Maria Sharapova.

Posted by Andre Monohan on Tuesday March 15 2011, 7:15 AM EDT. Ref: Inquirer. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0