Maria Sharapova is planning for the future – however, a career similar to her greatest rival Serena Williams is hard to imagine.
In the case of Tommy Haas, Patrik Kühnen, who has accompanied the career of the native of Hamburg in various functions over the years, has always remarked that Haas is actually a young lad:”If you consider all the injury breaks of the longstanding German number one, then Haas? actual career would not have been so long. From this point of view, Maria Sharapova gained 15 months of her career through her ban on doping.
She did not want to rule out anything altogether, Sharapova explained to the newspaper Bild-Zeitung. But she could not imagine at the moment that she would play like Serena Williams at the age of 36 on the WTA tour.
However, the Russian has still set a different goal, not quite so far away, especially since she was unable to start in Rio de Janeiro last year because of her suspension “I want to play until 2020 and participate in the Olympic Games in Tokyo. But if that doesn’t happen, it wouldn’t be terribly disappointing.”
During her break, Sharapova continued her studies at various institutions – even if the time after her career will not be characterized by financial constraints. But teamwork will be just as much in demand there as in the current situation. There, however, a whole team works only for one person: Maria Sharapova.
“You’re alone on the court. You have a team that only works for you,”Sharapova continues. The 30-year-old is currently in 59th position in the world again, the short time Sharapova needed wildcards for Grand Slam tournaments is over. In Tianjin there was also the first tournament victory after her return home.
Like most tennis professionals, however, the player Sharapova differs massively from the person of Maria Sharapova:”I only do my job on the court. I’m always totally focused, I’ve always been. Away from court, I have a completely different life. I’m a different person.”