About 17 years since she won the US open, the five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova was holding court over the late August tournament in New York from her vantage point in the stands.
Appearing at her first tennis event since she retired in 2020, Sharapova, who previously said that seeing photos of her playing made her “cringe” with pain, now “loves seeing tennis from the outside,” and that being a mom helped her find balance.
Keep reading to learn more about Sharapova’s post-tennis life!
Only 19 when she won the US Open in 2006, Maria Sharapova, now 36, is a Russian-born tennis player who clinched 36 titles, including five majors, two at the French Open and one each at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open.
Her retirement announcement came in February 2020, four years after she was suspended at the 2016 Australian Open for using a banned substance, that she claimed she used for magnesium deficiency, dizziness, and a family history of diabetes.
Grappling with reaching the top of her game again, the former top-seeded player, who suffered shoulder injuries since 2007, explained that the constant piercing pain made it difficult to grip her racket and rip a hit.
“I look at photos of myself and of the motion where I’m just about to hit the ball, and I’m in the air or just as I’m making contact,” she told the New York Times. “And I can’t even look at it because it makes me cringe. I have so much pain.”
Training, she explained was gruelling and her body needed to recover.
The same year, the Sports Illustrated model revealed she was engaged to her boyfriend Alexander Gilkes, a British businessman that she had been dating since 2018. And, in 2022, the 6-foot-2 former champ revealed on Instagram that she was pregnant with her first child.
“Precious beginnings!!! Eating birthday cake for two has always been my specialty,” she shared in a post, on her April 19, 2022 birthday, with a beautiful photo of her on a beach with her baby belly exposed.
Fans jumped in with birthday wishes and congratulated the mother-to-be. One writes “Congrats to you and your very very lucky fella. I envy him,” while a second shares, “Aww dude I’m so happy for you, I miss you at the tennis world, you really left a big hole there but knowing you are thriving in your personal life is more than enough. As always my admiration and best wishes to you and that little one that’s on the way.”
A third fan, who predicted the baby’s gender, writes, “Congratulations for the son who will arrive and will undoubtedly be beautiful with such distinguished and successful parents.”
On July 1, 2022, Theodore was born and since then she says she’s been loving her post tennis career as a mom.
“He just turned one, so it’s the usual giggles, saying his first few words, and learning to wobble walk,” she tells People, adding that her strict training in seeking professional perfection has taken a backseat to being a mom. “Ultimately, after you do have a child, there are so many other more important responsibilities that you have to take care of. If I miss a workout one day, I give myself that break. Or if I want to be spoil myself and eat a cookie at midday randomly, then that’s okay too. So I think it’s finding the right moments of that balance.”
Applying the lessons she’s learned from tennis to parenting, she said “There are so many things you can’t control, and that’s okay. So all those components of being an athlete are just incredible educational tools for taking you to different parts of your life, like parenthood.”
And though she’s retired, the founder of guilt-free sweets Sugarpova, is still involved with tennis. This year at the US Open, she won’t just be watching from the stands, Sharapova is also the captain of the SS Evian, a floating tennis court that will sail down the Hudson River during the men’s finals on Sept. 10.
“I’m very happy with where I am at this stage of life,” says Sharapova, the Evian hydration ambassador. “I appreciate what the sport has taught me and where it’s taken me, but I definitely love seeing it from the outside now.”
As for not competing, Sharapova adds that she enjoys being a spectator at the US Open, that started August 28 and runs until September 10.
“I love it. I love having an outsider’s perspective. I love watching the new generations unfold, and the sport in general. In fact, I think the US Open is the only tennis event that I’ve been to in person since I retired. It’s a really special one, with the energy of the crowds there.”
Professional athletes really strain their bodies so we’re fortunate to have seen Maria Sharapova play in the time she was able. It sounds like she’s living her best life with her partner and Theodore and we’re happy to see her at the US Open, even if she’s not competing at the event!
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