Maria Sharapova Announces Big News Ahead of Rogers Cup 2019

The Russian tennis ace, Maria Sharapova announced her appearance in the Premier five events of the US Open Series, but before she commences her run at Rogers Cup in Toronto, Canada and Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, USA, Sharapova announced her split with her coach Thomas Hogstedt.

She has been under the Swede, Hogstedt since 2018 and before that, Sharapova trained with him from 2011 to 2013. With him, she completed her Career Slam reverie as she lifted up the title at Roland Garros for the first time. That year, she also won the Olympic silver medal in London and was back on the pinnacle of WTA’s chart.

Maria Sharapova was teary-eyed when she sat for the press conference after her incomplete opening round match at Wimbledon 2019.“After Wimbledon, I went to Mariestad and Barcelona to train with ‘Hogge’. I’ve had the chance to work with him for a few weeks before the hardcourt season,” Maria Sharapova said.

“It has been great weeks and he has made me understand what it takes, how the best (players) work and think and how I can use my game to beat them. He is an extremely qualified coach and has worked with many top players at both WTA and ATP. He has not trained a Swedish (player) in 20 years so it is fun that he has wanted to help me,” She added.

Former World Number 38, Thomas Hogstedt has worked with players like Tommy Haas and Li Na. He has also guided Eugenie Bouchard, Caroline Wozniacki, Simona Halep and Madison Keys. He hasn’t coached any Swedish player till date.

Maria Sharapova has been given a wildcard for the Rogers Cup 2019 and for the past two weeks she was training with Riccardo Piatti at his tennis academy in Bordighera, Italy. “We have worked a lot from a technical point of view and on the shots to try to bring order to her game, even with the help of video analysis. We focused in particular on the service, limited by the shoulder problems she had,” Piatti said.

“I found her really motivated and very careful. She wants to come back at the top, and she needs to find her tennis again after being stopped several times. She is so strong mentally that if she can keep being healthy, I am sure she will be able to return to the top. Working with her was an honor,” he continued.