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Maria Sharapova has opened up about her experience of severing her coaching relationship with her father Yuri Sharapov.
Sharapova has often expressed gratitude for her father's influence in shaping her tennis career, as Yuri had coached her since her professional debut. On 'The Deal with Alex Rodriguez & Jason Kelly' podcast, she also shed light on the evolution of their coaching relationship.
The Russian reiterated her appreciation for her father's support while mentioning that the "greatest gift" he gave her was his acceptance that he would eventually have to step back from his coaching role.
"Tennis-wise, I have to give him so much credit. He was in his early 30s with $700 in his back pocket. He was trying to find any kind of job that would help support, you know, string my next racquet for my next tournament," Maria Sharapova said (at 11:05).
"The greatest gift that he gave me was acknowledging that at some point he will have to step back. And for a father in sport, particularly in tennis, as a father of a girl that's won Grand Slams with him, is a very tough acceptance to have," she added.
Maria Sharapova disclosed that she decided to part ways with her father after clinching her third Grand Slam title at the 2008 Australian Open, as she felt the need to prioritize her independence.
"I did that after my third Grand Slam at the Australian Open. I wanted to have that independency. It was more for me than anything else. It was not about money, not about victories," she said.
The former World No. 1 candidly discussed how she broke the news to her father, admitting that she couldn't face him while communicating her decision and opted to deliver it via a well-crafted email instead.
"I won the Australian Open and I drafted a really good email. I just thought I was gonna do this much better on email and craft my thoughts better. And I did.
"And I couldn't look at him in the face while saying that. But I also knew that he knew it was coming. He just didn't think it was gonna happen after I just won my third Grand Slam," Maria Sharapova added.
Maria Sharapova on her father Yuri: "I never really fired him; he was still very much involved"
Maria Sharapova went on to say that while the decision to part ways with her father, Yuri, was "tough," she felt prepared to forge her own path after their 20-year partnership.
"Yeah. It's a tough one. But you have to like, rip that bandaid. As someone that was in my 20s I was ready.
"It had been a partnership for, you know, over 20 years, and it was time to do it on my own," Maria Sharapova said (at 12:33 during the aforementioned podcast).
The five-time Grand Slam clarified that she never fired her father but instead transitioned their relationship, as he remained involved in the decisions regarding her career.
"I never really fired him. He was still very much involved. I guess the only thing that, and when you say fired, like you evolve, right? And that's one of the hardest, the challenges that I find now is like, what you needed two, three years ago, perhaps is not what you need for the future," she said.
"The fact that he was able to step back and say, 'Hey you do this.' He was still very much involved. He'd call all the coaches and speak to them after matches. He's always the first person I’d call. It wasn't like I went to my coach, I called my dad," Sharapova added.
