Despite Coco Gauff’s US Open Glory, a Glaring ‘99 Percent’ Women’s Tennis Setback Unveiled in a Blunt Confession by Tennis Legend Maria Sharapova

Maria Sharapova was one of the few players on the women’s tour who was often been attributed to sporting greatness given her remarkable tennis legacy. Even after her retirement, the Russian tennis legend has tasted immense success, albeit, in a disparate avenue, the business industry. The 5-time singles Grand Slam champion has pivoted to entrepreneurship, having established various ventures including her premium candy line, ‘Sugarpova’.

Being a successful entrepreneur in the industry, Sharapova recently shared some insights about the importance of marketing in tennis. In the process, the former tennis ace also brought to light a major ‘engagement’ issue involving the newly crowned US Open champion, Coco Gauff.

Maria Sharapova sheds light on the lack of marketing in tennis

Sharapova recently attended a conference organized by Bloomberg, in which she talked about the business side of things in the sport. Now that she has established herself in the entrepreneurial industry, the former tennis ace was asked what she believes tennis needs to do to grow as a business.

While calling it a “loaded question,” the Russian tennis beauty asserted that the best way to move forward is to attract more engagement in the game. Sharapova opened up about the importance of marketing in tennis as she also brought to light a ‘99 percent’ setback that affected Coco Gauff’s stellar season.

The WTA legend claimed that the majority of the audience who witnessed the American tennis prodigy’s US Open triumph had no idea that she was playing next in the China Open. Sharapova said, “She got to the semifinals and lost but I’m sure 99 percent of the audience at the US Open had no idea where she was playing next. Right away that’s off the bat, that’s a problem”. 

The 5-time singles Grand Slam champion’s recent statements are quite justified given the abysmal audience during Gauff’s China Open matchup.

Gauff’s blockbuster match got overshadowed by appalling attendance

The current world No. 2 Iga Swiatek recently prevailed in another thrilling encounter against his 19-year-old rival in the WTA 1000 event in China. Considering it was a high-profile match between the two top-ranked players, one would thought the stadium would be packed with fans. However, this wasn’t the case, as there was not enough audience to witness another fierce encounter between Swiatek and Gauff. According to a report, the stadium was only around 30% full which is quite appalling given the intensity of rivalry between the WTA superstars.

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Do you also agree with the Russian tennis legend’s views on the importance of marketing on the tour? Let us know in the comments section.

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