{"id":873977,"date":"2026-10-07T13:40:16","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T13:40:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/873977\/"},"modified":"2026-10-07T13:40:16","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T13:40:16","slug":"maria-sharapova-still-talks-a-pretty-tough-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/873977\/","title":{"rendered":"Maria Sharapova Still Talks a \u201cPretty Tough\u201d Game"},"content":{"rendered":"

Maria Sharapova likes to paint inside the lines. Six years after Sharapova hit her last professional tennis ball and retired<\/a>, the five-time Grand Slam champion now brings the same precision to her latest venture: podcasting. The host of the aptly named Pretty Tough<\/a> may have traded the match for a mic \u2014 but not her work ethic. \u201cI don’t think everything should be soft and fluffy,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a role that makes sense for someone whose own education didn\u2019t stop after her tennis career ended. \u201cIt wasn’t just about hitting a serve or a backhand,\u201d Sharapova says. The sport taught her business and offered new opportunities in everything from design to investing. The challenge was getting people to see her as more than a tennis star.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt took a while for people to appreciate the fact that I could stand up for both things; for being someone who holds a Grand Slam trophy, but who is able to go into a boardroom and have something thoughtful to say,\u201d she says. \u201cI don’t think that a lot of women are given the permission to be all those things, even though they are a lot of the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of Pretty Tough\u2019s<\/a> next guests, Alexandra Eala, brings that full circle. The 21-year-old Filipina tennis star, who has called Sharapova a childhood idol, is the podcast\u2019s youngest guest to date. \u201cShe is so incredibly mature, and it just reminded me how quickly you grow up in sport,\u201d Sharapova says of Eala.<\/p>\n

She would know. Sharapova won Wimbledon at 17<\/a>; Eala has an entire nation behind her. Game recognizes game\u2026 and the pressure that comes with it: \u201cI was like, \u2018uh huh, uh huh\u2026 been there.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Sharapova nearly gives that relationship a name: mentor. Then she pauses, laughs, takes it back. She prefers \u201cbeing a helping hand in times when you know sh*t’s hard because it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

From career to criticism, we asked Sharapova what she\u2019s learned \u2014 and what she\u2019s still figuring out \u2014 in this new phase of her life.<\/p>\n

Athletes basically have a PhD in taking care of their bodies. What\u2019s one thing the rest of us should steal from them?<\/p>\n

I always go back to consistency. I think one thing that I’ve noticed since retiring is there are so many trends about wellness and supplements<\/a> and workout techniques, but you have to give things time in order to see how they affect you.\u00a0<\/p>\n

We’re often pressured into somebody else’s experience, and we kind of forget to experience it ourselves before having a real opinion, or giving up on something when it gets a little too hard, or when we don’t see the results right away. So I always think of consistency. It was a really strong lesson for me.<\/p>\n

You spent your career pushing through. What does your body tell you now that it didn\u2019t then \u2014 and do you actually listen?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s funny because now my version of vacation is so different to what it was when I was playing. When I was playing, and I went on a holiday, which was very rare, like once a year, I obviously wouldn’t see the tennis court. I would not see the gym. I wouldn’t do a cold plunge.<\/p>\n

Now I go on holiday, I actually have an hour to go to the gym. We were on holiday with a friend of mine like a month ago in Mexico; the Aman [Editor\u2019s Note: Aman is a luxury hospitality company where Sharapova is a Global Wellness Ambassador<\/a>] built this hot-and-cold situation that was incredible. So I sat in the cold plunge for three minutes while my friend looked at me like I was crazy.<\/p>\n

You were incredibly disciplined as an athlete. What does discipline look like now?<\/p>\n

I went so hard when I competed. You land after a 12-hour flight, and you’re on a practice court getting used to the time difference, adjusting to the court, to the atmosphere, working on your racket tension. You’re in preparation mode all the time, even on a day when you wake up and you’re feeling ill, and you know your immunity is down. You still go through it.<\/p>\n

I no longer push through like I did when I played, and I’m still trying to find what my kind of version of that is.<\/p>\n

I’m 39, not 25, so what my body needed then is different than what it needs now.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s something you\u2019re still working on that people might assume you already have figured out?<\/p>\n

It’s definitely tied to motherhood: Patience. Getting them out of the door, transitioning from one activity to another… all the things really require a calm, patient perspective.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve spent years hearing other people\u2019s opinions about you. Have you ever felt pressure to soften your edges?<\/p>\n

I think what sport taught me is you grow into being comfortable, that [everyone has] opinions. I actually quite like the idea of getting feedback through opinions \u2014 whether it’s constructive criticism or things you can work on.<\/p>\n

That’s the idea of having a coach next to you, whether it’s a life coach, a mental coach, a sports coach, someone who can give you a clear picture of what they see from the outside. It’s a little bit of a reality check.<\/p>\n

I’m someone who likes to learn, so when there’s an opinion, I always say to my friends or people I work with within the podcast, \u201cGive me feedback.\u201d [Then] I can take it somewhere. If I don’t have anything, then I’m just on the same wheel.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I love working off of feedback, even from people I’ve never met.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s a money lesson you had to learn at a young age?<\/p>\n

One thing that I’ll say about money: Know what’s going into your account and what’s going out. If it takes a couple of hours every month to sit down with people who are overseeing your finances, and [even if] it feels like the last place you want to be, it is the best use of your time.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the best thing you\u2019ve ever spent money on?<\/p>\n

Treating my family and my friends to an incredible vacation.<\/p>\n

Tennis players have pushed for more of a say on everything from prize money to the schedule. What\u2019s one issue in tennis you think deserves more attention right now?<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll start with scheduling, but it\u2019s a chain [reaction]. It’s never just one thing.<\/p>\n

Buzzer Beaters<\/p>\n

What\u2019s one word others would use to describe you?: Goofy.<\/p>\n

Something you\u2019re secretly amazing at?: Flower arranging.<\/p>\n

What are you watching right now?: Margo\u2019s Got Money Troubles.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s always in your purse?: Antiseptic. It’s called Magic Molecule<\/a>. It’s like an antiseptic spray.<\/p>\n

If you weren\u2019t an athlete, you\u2019d be\u2026 An architect.<\/p>\n