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Maria Sharapova is nothing if not knowledgeable about herself.

For as long as she has been in the public eye, she remained true to that pared-down, hyper-aggressive game (oh, that piercing war cry when she struck the ball!) that earned her a career Grand Slam, albeit one with an asterisk applied due to her late-career suspension for doping. Sharapova is also tough and savvy, endowed with the ability and determination to parlay her on-court success and tightly controlled image into great riches.

But Sharapova, who announced her retirement on Wednesday, alienated as many people as she awed. She had few friends in the WTA, just rivals who existed in her eyes only to be beaten. The reaction to her retirement among her peers: an outpouring of, well, indifference.

The scant testimonials from Sharapova's peers is in stark contrast to the hoo-ha generated when she returned to the tour in April 2017 following a 15-month (reduced from two years) ban for doping. Players, including Simona Halep, Caroline Wozniacki and Agnieszka Radwanska, criticized the rush by tournament directors, including Grand Slam officials, to award the unranked Sharapova wild-card entry into their events. Wozniacki said then, "I feel like when a player is banned for drugs, I think that someone should start from the bottom and fight their way back."

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This might seem like a harsh way to approach the departure of the 32-year-old former No. 1 whose signature traits were mental toughness and dedication to her craft. But the record justifies a critical look. After returning from her 2016 suspension for the use of meldonium, a drug that increases alertness and stamina, she went 44-26 in singles, with just one title (she won the minor event in Tianjin, China, in October 2017). She was 5-8 against top-10 opponents, and she made it as far as the quarterfinals at just one Grand Slam event.

True, Sharapova's efforts were also hampered by a chronic shoulder injury, but her struggle with that issue was omnipresent even in her peak years. So it's difficult not to notice the dramatic fall-off in her performance.

At her best, Sharapova's very presence across the net seemed to discombobulate opponents. She struggled with her serve, profligately tossing in double faults, but powered through those passages to take advantage of any flicker of doubt or timidity in her opponents. She prepared to serve by boldly staring across the net for just long enough to allow silence to settle and people -- and her opponent -- to notice. Then she would go to work.

If Sharapova's red-carpet-ready image and astonishing earning power won her legions of admirers, some episodes in her career fueled antipathy toward Sharapova with equally obvious force. One of those occurred in 2006 at the Miami Open. Ranked No. 4 at the time, she faced No. 24 Tatiana Golovin in the semifinals. During the match, Sharapova successfully lobbied the chair umpire to allow her a bathroom break -- an emergency, she said -- as Golovin prepared to serve to stay in the second set.

Then, in the third set, Golovin went down hard as her ankle buckled while she was running full tilt to retrieve a Sharapova blast. As Golovin lay flat in severe distress across the court, having the match-ending injury examined, Sharapova showed no sign of concern or even interest. She stood with her back to the net. She was roundly booed, even as she left the court a winner. Sharapova later said she thought Golovin was merely cramping and added, "I wasn't surprised [by the booing]. It happens in the NFL and everywhere -- the crowd needs entertainment."

It would be nice to counterbalance this anecdote with an example of Sharapova's geniality -- if you could find one. The closest thing might be found among the occasional self-deprecating comments she uttered. She once said that playing on clay made her feel like a "cow on ice."

Sharapova compensated for what skills she lacked by mastering the art of old-school aggression. Sharapova's attitude and actions were something Jimmy Connors, who briefly and unsuccessfully coached Sharapova, understood and applauded. But that's where Sharapova's record against Serena Williams becomes relevant.

Williams is 20-2 against Sharapova, one of those two losses a 2018 French Open walkover. The other Sharapova win occurred way back when a spectacular rivalry with Williams seemed to be written in the stars. After losing to Williams in Miami, Sharapova won their 2004 clash in the Wimbledon final. It was a bitter blow that Williams never forgot. Williams is Sharapova's superior by any metric used to judge the strengths of their games or their combativeness and guts -- as the astonishingly lopsided head-to-head makes clear. But unlike Sharapova, Williams over time became as popular among her peers as she was with fans. She cultivated genuine locker room friendships and became an esteemed role model.

In recent years, it sometimes seemed the chance to somewhat ameliorate the glaring weakness in her resume with a few face-saving wins against Williams was an incentive for Sharapova to continue playing. Her failure to accomplish that will be a mark on her legacy. Sharapova built a career out of intimidating rivals, but Williams forced her into a painful role reversal.


Maria Sharapova mastered the art of old-school aggression throughout her tennis career. AP Photo/Mark Baker
There has never been any love lost between the two fiercest competitors of their time, but they largely kept their antipathy toward each other under wraps. It did poke through briefly in 2013 in the highly publicized "black heart" controversy.


Sharapova has been a role model for a number of young Russian immigrant athletes who have come to the U.S., including recent Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin. Yuri Sharapov, Maria's father, whisked her off to the U.S. at age 7 in 1994 to find opportunity and develop her game with a succession of famed coaches: Rick Macci, Nick Bollettieri and Robert Lansdorp. Sharapova has been a permanent resident of the U.S. since 1994, but she is proud of her Russian identity and represents the nation in international competitions (she was the flag-bearer for Russia in the 2012 Olympics).

There will be no Tokyo Olympics for Sharapova, it appears, at least not as a competitor. She might turn up there as a commentator, as she did for the Sochi Winter Games in 2014. In her retirement announcement in Vanity Fair and Vogue, Sharapova wrote:

"Looking back now, I realize that tennis has been my mountain. My path has been filled with valleys and detours, but the views from its peak were incredible. After 28 years and five Grand Slam titles, though, I'm ready to scale another mountain -- to compete on a different type of terrain."

Analogy aside, the declaration suggests Sharapova is eager to segue fully into the business landscape she has explored, off and on, during her career. We'll see how the qualities she brought to bear in tennis work in an arena where relationship-building and respect for peers and competitors is important. Her self-knowledge is likely to come in handy in more ways than one.

Maria Sharapova looked tired when she walked into the media room after her first-round loss at the Australian Open last month. Tired of losing, and tired of the questions that inevitably followed.

It was her third straight loss in the opening round at a major. But despite the evidence that the end of her career was in sight, she still managed to surprise the crowd of reporters with her answer to a question about whether she would play in Melbourne again after months -- years, really -- of defiance and frustration to such inquiries about her future in the sport.

"I don't know," she said with defeat evident in her voice. "I don't know. I was fortunate to get myself to be here, and thankfully to [Tennis Australia CEO] Craig [Tiley] and the team allowing me to be part of this event. It's tough for me to tell what's going to happen in 12 months' time."

With that admission of doubt, it became clear to most she wouldn't be competing much longer; however, no one in the room likely knew it would be her last tournament and news conference.

Simply put, there would be no more questions.

On Wednesday morning, in an essay posted by both Vogue and Vanity Fair, Sharapova announced she was retiring from tennis after 19 years on the WTA Tour.

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"How do you leave behind the only life you've ever known?" she wrote. "How do you walk away from the courts you've trained on since you were a little girl, the game that you love -- one which brought you untold tears and unspeakable joys -- a sport where you found a family, along with fans who rallied behind you for more than 28 years?

"I'm new to this, so please forgive me. Tennis -- I'm saying goodbye."

In many respects, it was a fitting way for Sharapova to end her storied, yet complicated, career. The five-time Grand Slam champion and 36-time WTA titlist has never been one for doing things the way anyone else wanted her to. While others announce their impending departures leading into a season or a tournament in order to receive somewhat of a hero's sendoff from fans and fellow competitors, Sharapova wanted to walk away on her own terms with her voice making that clear. She didn't want to have her career ended by someone else's racket, and she certainly didn't want to answer anyone else's questions.

No matter what you think of Sharapova -- and she's certainly one of the most polarizing figures in the sport -- one thing is for certain: Her impact will be felt in tennis for years to come on and off the court. It's been a complex journey, but the game is better for having her in it.

Sharapova, 32, began playing the sport as a 4-year-old in her native Russia and immediately showed promise. Two years later, at a tennis clinic run by Martina Navratilova, the 18-time Grand Slam champion urged Sharapova's father to take his daughter to Florida to train. Despite limited resources, they picked up their lives and moved in hopes of giving the young Sharapova a chance for a better life. It didn't take long for that risk to pay off. She advanced to the fourth round at Wimbledon in her first full year on tour as a 16-year-old in 2003. She won her first major title at the All England Club the next year, stunning Serena Williams, the defending champion, in the final. From there, Williams became Sharapova's foil throughout her career. The lopsided "rivalry" ended with Williams holding a 20-2 head-to-head record.

It was a mostly steady rise in the years that followed. She became world No. 1 in 2005 for the first time, she won the US Open in 2006 and Australian Open in 2008. Away from the court, she was equally -- if not even more -- successful. Landing a slew of lucrative endorsement deals throughout her career, Sharapova was named by Forbes as the highest-paid female athlete in the world for over a decade (2006-16), thanks to contracts with brands such as Nike, Porsche, Canon, Gatorade and Tag Heuer. She started "Sugarpova," her candy line, in 2013. She also became a household name even to those who were the most casual of tennis fans. She was a regular fixture on red carpets and in fashion magazines, and her trademark grunt was known (and often ridiculed) the world over.

She began dealing with a shoulder injury in 2007 that plagued her for the rest of her career, but she underwent several surgeries and recoveries in order to return to the sport. She fell out of the top 100 in 2009 as a result, but returned to form and the top 10. Sharapova became only one of 18 players (men and women) to complete the career Grand Slam when she took home her first title at the French Open in 2012. She won it again in 2014, in what would be her last major victory.

While never a popular figure among her peers, due to her perceived cold demeanor and publicly saying she didn't want to have friends on tour, Sharapova faced her biggest controversy in 2016 after testing positive for the banned substance meldonium. The substance had been banned at the start of the year, and Sharapova, who said she had been taking it for years as a result of a variety of ailments, said she was unaware it was no longer allowed. She initially received a two-year ban, but it was reduced to 15 months upon appeal.

Sharapova returned to the WTA Tour in April 2017, but her game and reputation would never be the same. She advanced to the quarterfinals at the 2018 French Open, but otherwise wasn't much of a factor at Grand Slams. She won just one title in her return, at the 2017 Tianjin Open. She went into Melbourne ranked No. 145, but is currently No. 373. While she certainly could have continued to receive wild cards for tournaments because of her stature in the sport, it seems, based on recent results, it would have been nearly impossible for her to remain competitive against her increasingly younger peers. In her essay, she detailed the shoulder pain and the lengths she needed to go just to make it onto the court.


From 2006 to 2016, Forbes named Sharapova the highest-paid female athlete in the world thanks to deals with brands such as Nike and Porsche and the Sugarpova candy line she founded in 2013. Joe Maher/Getty Images for Sugarpova
"I think she was never the same physically, emotionally, psychologically after coming back," said Pam Shriver, the 21-time doubles Grand Slam champion and ESPN analyst. "She never really got the Maria Sharapova mojo back for more than two matches in a row. Obviously a lot of people do talk and point to her three-set record before and after and look at the amount of injuries she dealt with after the suspension. Yes, she had the shoulder problems before, but they weren't as chronic.

"Unfortunately revisionists are going to say, 'She certainly seemed like a different player when she was on [meldonium] and it seemed to help her with her three-set record and to stay reasonably healthy.' Given that we're in an age where many players are competing well into their mid-30s, it's going to raise questions. I think that's fair. When you're in the public eye and are a professional athlete, it comes with the territory."

Still, despite her early exit in Australia, her influence on the sport was felt until the final day of competition. Sofia Kenin, the young Russian-born American, and her father have long credited Sharapova and her own father for inspiring Kenin's rise in the sport. Like Sharapova, Kenin showed early potential, and her family moved to Florida with nothing much more than a dream. Sharapova provided the blueprint to Kenin's first major title and whatever else lies ahead. Others such as Amanda Anisimova have said similar things. Sharapova has inspired immigrant families, particularly from Russia.

"She [Sharapova] was also so hungry, and she and her dad always wanted to prove she was a champion and they made a very brave champion-like decision to move to the U.S. at any early age," Shriver said. "As a Russian-born champion raised in the U.S., she's been so influential to the next generation.


"I think she will be remembered for being a great champion, but I think there is going to be a part of that legacy that is muddled because of the suspension. But I think she also deserves credit for bringing women athletes off the sports pages more. Not that others like Anna Kournikova and Gabriela Sabatini didn't do it the past, but she did it in such a fascinating way as a model and a businesswoman."

For so many players, regardless of country of origin, Sharapova has helped pave the way for sponsorships and signature deals. Alongside the Williams sisters, who also have their own companies, brands and endorsements, she showed the earning potential of a women's tennis player. In Forbes' 2019 list of the highest-paid female athletes, 12 of the top 15 were from the WTA. Despite her struggles on the court, Sharapova was still No. 7.

"Looking back now, I realize that tennis has been my mountain," she wrote. "My path has been filled with valleys and detours, but the views from its peak were incredible. After 28 years and five Grand Slam titles, though, I'm ready to scale another mountain -- to compete on a different type of terrain."

Pandemia COVID-19 doprowadziła do zmian w rozgrywkach ligowych na całym świecie. Dostosować się do aktualnej sytuacji musieli także organizatorzy World Team Tennis. W tym roku największą gwiazdą miała być Maria Szarapowa, ale zrezygnowała ze startu.
Rafał Smoliński
Rafał Smoliński
14 Maja 2020, 21:03
Maria Szarapowa
Getty Images / Denis Doyle / Na zdjęciu: Maria Szarapowa


Tenis. Justine Henin idolką Simony Halep. "Kopiowałam jej poruszanie się po korcie"
Rozgrywki World Team Tennis (WTT) mają już swoją wieloletnią historię, a dla tenisistów stanowią jedną z okazji do sprawdzenia formy przed dużymi sierpniowymi turniejami na kontynencie amerykańskim. W tym roku zmagania w lidze stanęły pod znakiem zapytania z powodu rozprzestrzeniającego się po świecie koronawirusa.
WTT monitoruje sytuację i podjęło już decyzję, że mecze nie będą rozgrywane w dziewięciu lokalizacjach. Aby uniknąć podróży po USA i zmniejszyć ryzyko zakażenia postanowiono, że trzytygodniowe zmagania odbędą się w jednym miejscowości. Początek sezonu zaplanowano na 12 lipca, a drużyny powalczą o WTT King Trophy i czek na milion dolarów.



Jedną z gwiazd ligi miała być w tym roku Maria Szarapowa. Była liderka rankingu WTA zaskoczyła, gdy w grudniu ogłosiła, że weźmie udział w dwóch lipcowych meczach drużyny Orange County Breakers, a nie w igrzyskach w Tokio. Jak się po kilkudziesięciu godzinach okazało, mogłaby w nich zagrać tylko pod flagą olimpijską, bo Rosja została wykluczona.

Pod koniec lutego Szarapowa ogłosiła zakończenie zawodowej kariery. Organizatorzy WTT mieli nadzieję, że uda się zachęcić tenisistkę do pożegnalnego występu. Z obozu pięciokrotnej mistrzyni wielkoszlemowej przyszła jednak informacja o rezygnacji z gry w tegorocznej lidze. Oficjalnym powodem decyzji nie była pandemia COVID-19, ale chęć dłuższego odpoczynku od tenisowych eventów.

The world was on its feet as a 17-year-old Maria Sharapova defeated Serena Williams at the 2004 Wimbledon Championships. Since then, she has received several endorsements, and outside of tennis, she has grown as a businesswoman and a brand in herself.

Recently on the Second Life podcast, Sharapova described her urge to grow out of tennis. As she grew on the WTA tour, she learned more and expanded her reach.

“I really struggled with the idea of being boxed into one thing, or one single category. And not because I thought that I was really good at other things. But it was because I knew that tennis wasn’t going to occupy my entire life.”


Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova of Russia poses for a portrait. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images for WTA)
She saw her life to be on top, even after her retirement. Sharapova was scared with the thought of having nothing to do after her retirement. Thus, post-retirement, she has taken the plunge into the world of business full time.

“I imagined myself finishing the day that I finished my career and retire and say, Wait, what’s next, what do I do now. And that thought. Like honestly, it scared me so much. Not because I wasn’t going to make money from a tennis career. It was just that I wanted more.”

What is driving Maria Sharapova forward?
Sharapova is driven by her own success. She is aiming for more and wants to use every opportunity to the fullest.

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Former Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova has opened up on her evolution as a tennis…

“When you become successful at a young age, there’s so many things that are thrown at you, opportunities and regularly it could be so overwhelming.”


Maria Sharapova at launch of Sugarpova
Maria Sharapova launches Sugarpova at Kingdom of Sweets on June 27, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Joe Maher/Getty Images for Sugarpova)
The former tennis star is now more of a businesswoman. She explained the different stages of her life. Along with tennis, she first learned about design, then grew more in business, and now financially covers herself, her family in the US and in Russia.

“I learned so much along that process, and from design, it became more serious into business, and then it became when I felt financially more secure and then I could you know cover myself and my family and my family back home in Russia.”


Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova of Russia waves to the crowd after victory. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
Since her retirement at the 2020 Australian Open, Sharapova has been very active, giving multiple interviews. She is now much more open about her life, about her business interests and her illustrious career. She recently got engaged to British businessman, Alexander Gilkes.