Maria Sharapova recently shared why she has not returned to tennis since retiring from her career in February 2020. In August, the Russian icon received one of the biggest honors of her career when she was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, with her longtime on-court rival and close friend Serena Williams delivering her induction speech.
Maria Sharapova Reveals Why She Has Not Returned to Tennis
Sharapova has not made a comeback to the sport since stepping away from a distinguished career during which she won 36 WTA singles titles, including five major championships, three doubles titles, and a silver medal in singles at the 2012 London Olympics.
In a recent appearance on “The David Rubenstein Show,” Sharapova explained why she has not played tennis competitively or casually. The Nyagan, Russia, native said she does not want to feel like a diminished version of the athlete she once was.
She said, “I don’t know. My friends don’t want to play with me. I guess the honest answer is I don’t want to be a sad version of my old self. Like, I knew like what I loved about the sport was how quick it was, how reactive it was, how powerful it was. When you don’t play it for a long time, you don’t have that anymore.”
Sharapova also reflected on several aspects of her life, including how her greatest strengths became obstacles later in her career. She said her determination and unwillingness to give up were essential to her success, but toward the end of her playing years, that same drive began to hold her back.
“I think stuff like stubbornness was a great quality that shaped a lot of my victories. But at the end of my career, I think it became a flaw because I was so stubborn to get healthy for my shoulder to recover,” she said.
She added that her body’s recovery process slowed with age and that her refusal to accept this created difficulties. “I was also at an age where just my body didn’t recover as quickly. And so I, for a year or two, that stubbornness got in the way of other great things in my life,” she said.
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After retiring, Sharapova transitioned into a business and investment career, including her confectionery brand Sugarpova, which has achieved notable success.
