The 5-time Grand Slam champion, Maria Sharapova, reached unprecedented heights at a very young age in her tennis journey. However, her rise in professional tennis was prophesied by none other than the 59-time Grand Slam champion, Martina Navratilova, when Sharapova was just 6 years old. At that very moment, Navratilova realized the potential of the Russian superstar.

The former Russian tennis player won her first Grand Slam title at just 17. She further reached the world’s No. 1 ranking for the first time in her career in 2005.

Martina Navratilova met Maria Sharapova at a tennis clinic

The 18-time Grand Slam winner, Navratilova, once talked about her first meeting with Sharapova. She met her at a tennis clinic when she was 6. Navratilova recalled, “Apparently. I didn’t remember, but I was told this. I mean, just this little kid, but you can see it. You can totally see it, can see the attitude, can see the spark in their eyes and can see how they walk and how they move and all that stuff. It’s there for the taking.”

The former Russian tennis player spent her childhood in the former Soviet Union. Sharapova’s family lived in dangerous circumstances as they were located near the catastrophic Chernobyl nuclear reactor. Despite such hardships, Sharapova’s parents did their best to provide her with the necessary training. One of the youngest Wimbledon champions first picked up a racket when she was just 4 years old.

ALSO READ- Maria Sharapova Finds a Humorous Way To Never Leave Italy Again

Later on, she signed up for training in a tennis clinic in Moscow, where she impressed the tennis great, Navratilova. The 59-time Grand Slam champion further advised Sharapova’s family to move to the United States for better opportunities in the field of tennis.

What is Sharapova doing after her retirement from tennis?

The 5-time Grand Slam title winner, Maria Sharapova, retired in 2020 after she faced a ban for the consumption of the banned substance, meldonium. She has now moved away from tennis and is now focused on her business endeavors. Sharapova is the owner of a multi-million dollar company, Sugarpova.

The former Wimbledon champion has also entered the fashion industry as she was previously spotted at the New York Fashion Week. Additionally, she was recently got featured in the Italian Fashion Week in Milan. The Russian star is also interested in the crypto industry as she attended the Binance Blockchain Week in Paris. Many popular figures in the industry, including Sharapova, attended the event in Paris.

Watch this story: How big is Maria Sharapova business legacy in comparison to Elon Musk