Sharapova on transitioning from tennis star to entrepreneur: "I was always working towards what the future after tennis might look like"

Wednesday, 13 May 2020 at 18:50

Maria Sharapova retired from tennis at the start of 2020 and has been building her life away from tennis which includes business ventures such as Sugarpova.

Sharapova spoke with the Wall Street Journal as part of a recent webinar to reveal that it was the right time to retire and focus on different things; as well as that she is now ready to build a similar legacy in the business world.

"In hindsight, [my retirement] was great timing, because I'd be sitting here saying, 'When do I train?', 'What do I train for?' There are so many question marks around sport in general," Sharapova said.

"From my perspective... it's been really nice to have this moment of reflection; to look back at the 28 years of playing this one little sport, and what it meant to me, and recollecting, and also having the chance to form the foundation of the future.

"As I think of the past and how long it took me to become a champion in my sport — it took me well over 10 years just to play a first professional tournament — so whatever I might choose to do next... it will take time; and I'm using this time at home to work on that and build on that.

"I always carry a big-picture frame of mind because when I was growing up and I'd have tough losses, my father would say, 'It's not a sprint. It's a marathon.' and although I knew what my life and my schedule would look like in sport, your trajectory is never predicted.

"You can work as hard as you can, you can be a very talented athlete; but you take one wrong turn, and you end up at the end of you career. I know what it's like to go through those peaks and valleys.

"As I was looking to my future and realizing as a female; even though when I was a little girl, I wanted to play this sport for the rest of my life... I realized; probably in my late teens, that there would be other things in my life that I would have an interest in.

"I was always working towards what the future after tennis might look like."

https://twitter.com/WSJ/status/1260246160381526019

Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief

Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.

Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.

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