Maria Sharapova‘s interesting take on career and motherhood has almost put an end to the debate about female athletes needing to choose between career and family. While mentioning the struggles of a new mom, Sharapova proudly explains “an incredible shift in culture” and reveals how the athlete’s life “is very much representative of what it is to be a mother.” 

On Mother’s Day, Maria Sharapova sat for an interview with WTA Tennis to speak about some crucial topics surrounding female athletes’ lives, such as whether they need to choose between their professional careers and motherhood. Asking people to focus on self-care, Sharapova spoke about how ensuring good health is essential for both athletes and mothers in the long run.

“There’s been an incredible shift in culture in the way that women see their workplace and the choices that they’re making. Yeah, there are many skills that you learn as an athlete, particularly as a female athlete along the way and those are discipline, routine, you know, understanding preventative care for your body as an athlete. You know, your body is everything. That’s your biggest tool. And if it’s not there for you, how are you going to compete at the highest level? And I’d say that is very much representative of what it is to be a mother ” she said.

Sharapova further spoke about how athletes endure similar situations in both their professional and personal lives. Therefore, she recommended the benefits of having a strong and focused mind. “You know, if your mind is strong, if you’re inspired in that moment, if you have a fresh perspective, it is so helpful to go through all those challengers in a career and motherhood. When I reflected back to, you know, the days where I had to be so disciplined and just when you think like you’re recovering, you’re actually you’re always doing things, right? And, you know, the subject of recovery as an athlete, of recovery was, I mean, a huge part of being an athlete ” she said.

However, this former world’s number-one WTA star prioritized relaxing even if they had a strict schedule. It is for ensuring that they are healthy enough to balance both their personal and professional lives. She said- “I mean, a huge part of being an athlete, like, how are you playing in front of thousands of people? and then how do you find ways to just completely be still? You know, have a great night’s sleep relax. As a mother, that’s also very important.”

She further said, “You know, when you put your child down for that hour or hopefully 2 hours that you have of their nap. But how do you take care of yourself? What tools are you giving for your mind and your body to get it back to being inspired and, you know, being ready for this repetitive nature of motherhood? It’s so important to find time for yourself.” 

Maria Sharapova’s advice showcases why self-care is so important for women post-motherhood even if they have a strict professional life. This former Russian tennis legend’s statements speak volumes about how a focused mind and healthy body can help female athletes in both their careers and raising their babies. Despite, Sharapova’s advice, she struggled when her son Theo was born in 2022.

“Tough girl” Maria Sharapova reveals her “guilt” post-motherhood

Despite advising young female athletes not to compromise with either career or family, Sharapova revealed her motherhood challenges. One huge among them was leaving her son Theo behind for work. “I was just saying, the guilt that you feel like leaving the house as a new mom, going through my teens and my 20s, early 30s was like, I got this down. I’m a tough girl. I’m gonna be okay leaving my child ”  said the former Russian WTA star.

This former Grand Slam champion expressed her anxieties during work trips when she had to leave her toddler son behind. Sharapova said- “Oh no, I leave the house and I think twice about it, Yeah. Like what’s the purpose of my trip? Is it really important? Your thought perspective, just completely changes.” 

She spoke about how her plans completely changed post-motherhood- “So, you know, I envisioned post-retirement, traveling around the world, and experiencing, these amazing cities from different perspective and then I gave birth to Theo, and then my world just revolves around him and work and yeah, and I don’t know when I’m going on vacation.” 

Maria Sharapova’s take on the changing landscape of female sports and how female athletes proudly manage motherhood with their careers offers an empowering vision of female sportsmen. The way female tennis players like Naomi Osaka inspire people with their career goals and motherhood, they deserve much applause from their fans.