Maria Sharapova had retired from her tennis career in 2020 after spending some good 28 years as a tennis professional. She did it in style to becoming one of the the world’s highest paid female athlete. The five-time Grand Slam champion also achieved a career Grand Slam by winning all four Grand Slams, a feat only ten women have achieved in the history of the sport.
Post her retirement, she has built a business empire of her own, becoming the most admired woman entrepreneur. in her leisure time, Maria Sharapova loves to travel around the world and explore different places with her partner, Alexander Gilkes, whom she got engaged to in 2020. Last year she also became a mom, when she gave birth to a baby boy on July 1, 2022, whom she named Theodore.
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In her recent Instagram post, Sharapova shared some adorable pictures and videos of a family trip to Greece with her partner and son. The vacation was even more sweeter as it came just after the first birthday of her son and of course her first birthday as a mom too! She has been seen spending quality time with her family – enjoying Greek cuisine, taking a summer swim as well as reading her favorite book.
Maria Sharapova enters Pickleball tournament
Pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports in United States. No wonder some of the tennis legends have swapped their tennis rackets with paddle rackets to pick up the sport. Being played on a smaller court, the sport endures lesser physicality than tennis.
To make the most of this rising popularity, a tournament called ‘Pickleball Slam 1’ was organized this year in April, 2023 which featured four tennis legends- Roddick, Agassi, McEnroe, Chang, and became a blockbuster show averaging 2,37,000 adult viewers. The event is set to return for a second time next year on February 4, 2024 after witnessing grand success in the inaugural edition.
To join this bandwagon, Maria Sharapova will feature in the second edition ‘Pickleball Slam 2‘ along with another tennis legend, Steffi Graf for the first time. They will pair in a mixed-doubles team alongside McEnroe and Agassi respectively. The tournament also has a handsome prize-money of $1 million enough the attract best racket legends of our times.
Will Maria Sharapova shine once again on the court with her racket, albeit a new one, only time will tell. It seems that she has been missing her sporting duels which brought in the most fierce competitor in her, the world has ever seen.