Maria Sharapova gives cryptic answer about her future coaching plans
Maria Sharapova, the 5-time Major champion, gave a cryptic message when asked if she'd consider a coaching career. The Russian-born former World No. 1 has been retired from tennis since 2020, and has several business and personal interests outside of tennis (she's estimated to be worth $180 million by Celebrity Net Worth). She's never shown any inclination to return to the sport as a coach, or in any other capacity.
The 37-year-old was on the WTA circuit for 19 years, and is one of only ten women players to achieve a singles career Grand Slam. Sharapova won 36 WTA singles titles and captured the 2004 WTA Tour Championship. She also won a silver medal at the London Olympics in 2012.
Sharapova remains one of tennis' most popular players, with an enormous social media following. She took time out from her schedule to answer questions from her 4.6 million Instagram followers.
She was asked, "Will you ever consider coaching?"
Sharapova's answer was evasive and cryptic. She simply responded with one word:
"Me??"
As a player, Sharapova was coached by the Swede Thomas Hogstedt between 2010 and 2013, and again from 2018 to 2020, and by the Dutchman Sven Groeneveld between 2014 and 2018. The pair won seven trophies together, including the 2014 French Open.
Maria Sharapova has enjoyed a thriving business career since retiring from tennis
Maria Sharapova has been involved in a number of businesses both during and after her tennis career. She launched a confectionary brand, Sugarpova, in 2012, which posted revenue of $20 million in 2019. She also had a stake in the sunscreen brand Supergoop, and wellness brand Therabody.
Sharapova was rewarded for her entrepreneurial skills by being invited as a guest shark to the American TV show Shark Tank in 2020, alongside notable businesspeople like Mark Cuban. She's also known to have invested in such ventures as Tonal, Moonpay, Clio Snacks, and UFC. In 2023, Sharapova was interviewed by Glossy.co, and was clear about her future career path:
“I’m looking forward to continuing to align with brands that have incredibly strong foundations. It’s a tough time for many people that are entrepreneurs. Investing your time and finances into the stage in a company when no one is really taking chances on people is ultimately where I’d like to step in and see opportunity.” (from 33.15)
The former tennis champion has also featured in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue, and ad campaigns for Nike, Prince, and Canon. On top of that she has been a United Nations Development Programme Goodwill Ambassador since 2007. Given her myriad business interests and entrepreneurial ventures, it appears unlikely that Sharapova will be coaching tennis.