Maria Sharapova is one of the great players in the modern era of tennis. The Russian player gave it her all during her career and won numerous titles. But the former number 1 wanted to grow beyond tennis, even before she was in the twilight years of her career. Recently, she revealed why she decided to branch out from tennis and step into the world of business, like one of her former archrivals.

One of Sharapova’s biggest rivals during her prime was Serena Williams. The Queen of the Court followed the same track as her rival, as she also decided to become an entrepreneur after her retirement. 

Why Maria Sharapova decided to branch out?

The Russian tennis star has given her fans several performances to remember during her time on the WTA circuit. In ‘The Rennae Stubbs Podcast’, Sharapova detailed how much she loved her routine in tennis. Waking up, putting on her sports gear and training to improve every day became part of a routine which she enjoyed till her retirement. For her, it was empowering, as she was able to hold down a profession and see improvements in real-time. Along with the fan following, that part of life was perfect for her. 

But Maria Sharapova knew she lacked knowledge in one department, that was the world of business. “I also knew that there were limitations to what I could do when I was outside of the court. And so that’s where I wanted to learn. And I would take classes in Harvard Business School, I would go and intern with Adam Silver at the NBA. So I found, you know, I found little moments to grow. Because I didn’t just want to swim in one lane.“

She also knew that it was important to make the decision about work as a woman. “And I knew that also, as a woman, at one point, you have to make a decision on whether you know, you want to stop for several years or you want to retire to have a family. You know, things don’t just happen fast. Like, this is a process.”

Now, Sharapova is worth over $196 million and has many successful ventures under her belt. Sugarpova is one of her oldest ventures, which has seen an immense expansion in the last few years. Additionally, she is also a member of the board of directors of the fashion brand Moncler. All her ventures show how hard she has worked after her retirement, just like one of her biggest on-court rivals.

Serena Williams paved the way for WTA stars to venture into business

After she retired from the sport, Serena Williams doubled down on her other ventures, just like Sharapova. While she began her off-court ventures during the prime of her career, she started focusing on them more after her retirement. She focused especially on her venture capital business, Serena Ventures, which has seen immense strides since last year.

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Her investments in several ventures have proved to be fruitful, as many have experienced great growth over time. The focus of her investments is women and people of color, and Williams decided to invest in their start-ups. Additionally, her own firm has raised more than $111 million in funding since last year.  

Both rivals have achieved a lot on the court and off-court. Now that their tennis playing days are behind them, the two are completely focused on taking their ventures to new heights.  

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