Maria Sharapova's tricky situation: "I will not organize a parade"

Former world number one Maria Sharapova paid a visit to the WTA tournament in Linz. The Russian hurts her shoulder, which is why she had to cancel her start at the largest women's tournament in Austria. She has been in this tricky situation since early years of her career, despite injuries she is economically successful like no other on the WTA tour.

Wer gewinnt? Tippt jetzt!

18+ | Interwetten Gaming Ltd. MGA/B2C/110/2004 interwetten.com

Maria Sharapova is a media professional. The 32-year-old was flown in with a lot of effort by charter plane for a short appearance in Linz. She attended sponsorship appointments, gave an autograph session, and answered all journalist questions with a big smile.

"I need a little more time to get to the level to keep up with the best," Sharapova said of her state of health. The five-time Grand Slam winner was repeatedly stopped by injuries this year. She had to give up or cancel a match three times, in total she only played in eight tournaments. “My tournament schedule was never packed, even when I was in top shape. The shoulder was always a chess site in my body. I had a shoulder surgery at the age of 21, followed by some good years, now it's a bad year, ”she said.

From a sporting point of view, this may be true, but financially 2019 is a success. She is still one of the ten highest-earning athletes in the world, with a total of seven million US dollars, which was roughly the same as 15 top 100 players.

Maria Sharapova fights with the shoulder

A long match at the Toronto Premier tournament gave her another damper, since then the shoulder joint has been pinching. "In preparation for the new season, I want to do everything right," said Sharapova, who is currently working on her shape with Riccardo Piatti in his academy in Bordighera in western Italy. Although she still called for the tournament in Luxembourg next week, she doesn't seem to believe that she will compete.

Listening to Sharapova makes it difficult to imagine that her body will allow another big tournament win. "Today I value the things of everyday tour much more. I think more about what the body has to do to reach a high level, ”she admitted herself.

Sharapova also noted that family planning also played a role in her retirement thoughts. After giving birth, she doesn't want to go back on the WTA tour. "Should I open this chapter, I will spend my full time on it. I have a good friendship with my mother who was very young when I was born. I also want to have this relationship with my child, ”Sharapova gave private insights.

If you talk to the 36-time tournament winner about a possible career end, she will get serious shortly. "I won't be holding a parade," she promised. "I am a simple person. I love this sport and competition. Yes, I'm closer to the finish line than the start, for example. ”At the moment, however, she cannot predict when she will leave professional tennis.

At the moment she still feels the fire and passion for sport. She chose her words consciously when trying to describe her motivation for everyday training. "As a woman, it gives you a lot of strength when you feel that you are good at something and that you can develop further."

Maria Sharapova: women's tennis? "People always have something to complain about"

While Sharapova's time as a formative figure in women's tennis is slowly coming to an end, Bianca Andreescu, Naomi Osaka and Cori Gauff are the start of a new generation of upcoming superstars. There have been ten different Grand Slam winners in the past three years, and the outcome of a major is always unpredictable.

Sharapova does not want to see this as a weakness and a lack of true greatness. "People always have something to complain about," she said. “Our job is to have several good and bad days on the pitch. We still have to show good tennis. ”Then the quality of the women's tour would also be assured.

Sharapova sees the tournament in Linz as a "remarkable step" in the development of women's tennis in Austria. “Things don't happen overnight. It takes a lot of time to develop talent, develop skills and build an infrastructure, ”she said patiently.

And further: "Many things have to work together to be successful. The hope is that many children will notice and be inspired. Maybe one day they will wake up and think differently. That doesn't have to be number one in tennis, but can give them a different perspective on their goals. The lessons we learn in this sport can help in many other areas of life. ”

Maria Sharapova: Success in Grand Slam tournaments