"It's always complicated" - Maria Sharapova on being coached by her father

Maria Sharapova recently opened up about her experience of being coached by her father, Yuri Sharapova, at the beginning of her career.

Sharapova won five Grand Slam singles titles during her career; she triumphed twice at the French Open and clinched one title each at the Australian Open, Wimbledon Championships, and the US Open. She was also the first Russian woman to achieve the World No. 1 ranking.

Sharapova recently appeared on the Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard podcast, where she discussed her experience of being coached by her father, Yuri. She revealed that in the early stages of her career, Yuri took on the role of her coach due to financial constraints.

The former World No. 1 stated that she appreciated her father being her coach because he possessed an unparalleled understanding of both her as an individual and her game, surpassing the knowledge of any other potential coach they could have hired.

"It's always complicated when dad's involved. So my father was my coach from the very beginning for one reason, because we didn't have money for another option. So the longer he was my coach, the more he knew about me and my game and knew what was best for me," Maria Sharapova said (46:00).

"So that is what I appreciated is that there was no one else that knew my struggles and my challenges and my game and the belief that he had in me was exceptional," she added.

Maria Sharapova has also expressed that her father possessed a remarkable ability to push and "challenge" her in the right ways.

"He also knew how to challenge me in the right ways which in the dynamic of a father-daughter is very hard. How much do you push your child so that they get the most out of this. But they're not in a year or two saying, no dad, you pushed me so much that I want to leave. So it's such a fine line," Maria Sharapova said.

Sharapova expressed her deep appreciation for her father's guidance during the early stages of her career emphasizing that their relationship remains strong to this day. According to her, this bond holds immense value to her as the father-daughter duo went through the "unique" journey together.

"I'm already thinking about it as a parent. Like how tough are you in order to be in line and to be right. But also to make sure that they have a chance to make their own decisions. I still have an amazing relationship with my father and I value it because we went through this journey together and it was so unique," she added.

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Maria Sharapova on parting ways with her father as her coach: "He was fine with it"

Maria Sharapova with her father Yuri Sharapova at the 2007 Australian Open

Maria Sharapova also opened up about her experience of parting ways with her father as her coach. She stated that she had reached a level of maturity that allowed her to make this decision.

"We got there as a team. We're a phenomenal team and I felt mature enough to make that decision because I was comfortable with where my game was. I was comfortable with the other team that I had," Maria Sharapova continued, via the aforementioned source.

The 36-year-old stated that she wanted her father to enjoy his time off as he had dedicated 20 years of his life to helping her bring out her best game. She also revealed that Yuri was supportive of her decision to end their coaching relationship.

"I wanted him to enjoy his life. He spent 20 years working and grinding and bringing in the best talent to help me grow and just being by my side all the time. I wanted him to have some freedom in his life. Yeah, he was fine with it," she added.