Maria Sharapova: "Toward the end of my career, I tried very hard to get my body back in shape and a lot of that came from stubbornness"

Maria Sharapova may have bid tennis a farewell, but the former World No. 1 and five-time Grand Slam champion's love for the sport has anything but faded.

Speaking to Tennis Canada in a recent interview, Sharpova spoke on a range of topics that covered her entrepreneurial endeavours, love for fashion as well her time on the tennis court.

Reflecting on the latter part of her carrer, the Russian said she tried very hard to get back in shape towards the end, but her body refused to hold up. She was quick to admit that a lot of the desire to keep going came from her own stubborness and that was something she had to let go of eventually.

“Toward the end of my career, I tried very, very hard to get my body back in shape and injury-free," Maria Sharapova said. "And a lot of that came from my stubbornness because I truly believed I could repair my ligaments and my tendons in my shoulder just if I worked harder.”

“And sometimes, you have to let go of that stubbornness in order for there to be more beautiful things in your life to open up,” she added.

Sharapova added that playing on the WTA Tour made her realise that she will not always be able to be there for people, as tennis players are travelling around 11 months a year.

“You have to be okay with the fact that you’re not always going to be there for someone if you have a career that entails you to be on the road for 10-11 months,” Maria Sharapova said. “But first and foremost, I knew the one thing I was strong at was tennis."

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"I was genuinely surprised by how much interest there was in my life" - Maria Sharapova on early success

Maria Sharapova at the 2019 Australian Open.

Shifting focus to her early years as a tennis player, Maria Sharpova said she was genuinely surprised by the interest that media and fans took in her persoanl life.

For someone like the Russian, who broke onto the scene by beating Serena Williams in a Wimbledon final as a teenager, it meant that she had to stand up for herself and call out those questioning her choices.

“When I gained success at a young age, I was genuinely surprised by how much interest there was in my life in every single lane,” Maria Sharapova said. “I’ve had to stand up for myself many times. It wasn’t popular to be more than just a tennis player — to be interested in fashion, to have your own line."

"You’re in this sandbox, and you’re not allowed to play with anything else," she continued. "And I feel like in some ways, I wanted to disrupt that. I wanted to challenge my brain in other ways.”

Maria Sharapova played her last competitive match at the 2020 Australian Open. Having come through the opening round, the Russian fell to Donna Vekic in the second.