Maria Sharapova takes us behind the scenes of the Sochi Olympics

Maria Sharapova visited her hometown when back in Sochi for the Olympics. (Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for Nike)
Maria Sharapova's Sochi takeover is officially underway. The Russian is taking time off from the tennis tour to work for NBC as an Olympic correspondent, but don't expect to hear her thoughts on curling or skeleton. The Sochi native is there to introduce the rest of the world to the city where she lived until she was six and still visits to see relatives.
Sharapova has been tweeting about behind-the-scenes action, which includes some quality time with Mary Carillo, a tour through Team Russia's digs at the Olympic village, and some stressful time spent as a spectator. All hail Sochipova!
Getting microphones ready filming my first @NBCOlympics segment #Sochi2014 pic.twitter.com/8oftuOIFHT
— Maria Sharapova (@MariaSharapova) February 4, 2014
Broadcasting is made for me...if this is what I get to do on the job... #Sochi2014 @NBCOlympics pic.twitter.com/jOLvuwjxJw
— Maria Sharapova (@MariaSharapova) February 4, 2014
With Yelena Isinbayeva at the Olympic rehearsals #Sochi2014 pic.twitter.com/f08GSZHeWd
— Maria Sharapova (@MariaSharapova) February 6, 2014
Watched the pairs skating for the very first time. Didn't think I would be so nervous #Olympics #solucky #Sochi2014 pic.twitter.com/XgkoNKSoLy
— Maria Sharapova (@MariaSharapova) February 6, 2014
Sharapova also stopped by The Today Show to discuss her first impressions of the organization in Sochi and something called "The Lover's Bench". She admits that when she was last in Sochi a year ago she was unsure whether the organizers could pull it off.
“Everything was still one big construction site. Most of the tunnels were closed. The stadiums were not close to being finished,” she said. “But here I am. I landed a few days ago. I simply couldn’t believe the changes that were made.”
Watch the full interview here:

Contributor, SI.com Nguyen is a freelance writer for SI.com, providing full coverage of professional tennis both on and off the court. Her content has become a must-read for fans and insiders to stay up-to-date with a sport that rarely rests. She has appeared on radio and TV talk shows all over the world and is one of the co-hosts of No Challenges Remaining, a weekly podcast available on iTunes. Nguyen graduated from the University of California, Irvine in 1999 and received a law degree from the University of California, Davis in 2002. She lives in the Bay Area.