Andy Murray's mother Judy praises Maria Sharapova for her advice to young athletes and tennis players

Andy Murray's mother Judy Murray has lauded former tennis pro Maria Sharapova for her advice to young athletes and tennis players.

Maria Sharapova, a brand favorite during her playing days, recently appeared on an episode of The Glossy Podcast and gave valuable advice to young players. She stated that it is critical to have strong guiding figures in your team who care about you and are not just motivated by monetary gain.

"It takes all the strength in the world and very smart and knowledgeable people to help guide you and help you understand [which deals to make], especially when you’re young because you don’t know," Sharapova said.

"It’s hard to have a real grip on the business [of brand deals], and to understand what people really want from you and how authentic it is. Listen to the people that you’re close with, particularly when you’re young. You have to surround yourself with strong people that are looking after you and not trying to make money from you," she added.

Judy Murray, a tennis coach herself, praised Sharapova in response, writing on Twitter:

"Preach."

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"Be smart with people you align with, choose partners that will further help elevate who you are" - Maria Sharapova

Maria Sharapova pictured at the 2020 Brisbane International Previews.

Maria Sharapova expanded on her advice, saying that players should choose their allegiances "smartly" and always pick the ones who will help them "elevate" themselves. She then used herself as an example of how having good guidance can be of great assistance.

"Be smart with people you align with, and choose partners that will further help elevate who you are," Sharapova said.

"One of the reasons I was able to save money and feel like I could make smart investments in the future was because I had someone that protected me," she added.

The five-time Grand Slam champion added that while partnerships may not be financially appealing at first, having a solid foundation is more important than a big company offering a handsome paycheck.

"Relationships that maybe start as smaller deals, but have a very strong foundation that will put in marketing dollars to elevate you as a human, might be worth more than taking a big paycheck from a company that doesn’t have a lot of marketing spend," Sharapova said.

After enjoying an illustrious tennis career, Maria Sharapova decided to hang up her tennis racquets in 2020. But she continues to feature on the lists of the biggest earners in sports, because of her savvy sponsorship deals.