Maria Sharapova has admitted that she is still undecided on making a return to tennis having retired from the sport in 2020. The tennis icon is one of the most successful players the sport has seen but remained coy when asked if she would ever make a comeback.
Sharapova retired in 2020 after the Russian had won almost every individual accolade possible in a 19-year-long career. The tennis great first rose to prominence after winning Wimbledon in 2004 when she defeated Serena Williams in a dominant straight-sets performance.
The following years would see her lift the US Open in 2006 and the Australian Open in 2008 before claiming two French Open titles in 2012 and 2014. However, a spate of serious injuries severely hampered her progress.
Her final game would come in a defeat to Donna Vekic in straight sets after entering the 2020 Australian Open as a wild card pick. In an essay in Vanity Fair and Vogue she announced her retirement, writing: “Tennis—I’m saying goodbye.”
With over three years since her last on-court showing the 36-year-old has since admitted that she hasn’t considered a comeback to the sport much to the disappointment of fans.
During a recent Q&A on Instagram, Sharapova was asked: “What would motivate you to play in a tennis match again?”
“That’s a really tough question,” Sharapova responded before adding: “I don’t know the answer.”
This isn’t the first time Sharapova has been quizzed about a return to the sport. Speaking to Tennis Canada in a recent interview she reflected on her career but admitted that her injuries made any chance of a return unlikely.
“Toward the end of my career, I tried very, very hard to get my body back in shape and injury-free,” she said. “And a lot of that came from my stubbornness because I truly believed I could repair my ligaments and my tendons in my shoulder just if I worked harder.
“And sometimes, you have to let go of that stubbornness in order for there to be more beautiful things in your life to open up.”
The former World No. 1 went on to add that her successful tennis career came as a detriment to her personal life.
“You have to be okay with the fact that you’re not always going to be there for someone if you have a career that entails you to be on the road for 10-11 months,” she added. “But first and foremost, I knew the one thing I was strong at was tennis.
Despite claiming that she hasn’t considered a return to action, Sharapova has regularly been spotted taking part in training exercises for her 4.6 million followers on Instagram. Her activities prompted another fan to ask: “Your workout posts were really inspirational can we expect more of those in the future?”
“You’re right. I should record them more often,” the Russian replied. “It’s just very strange to workout and recording yourself working out. But I guess that’s the thing. I should get a new tripod.”
