There is no greater responsibility and privilege in life than raising the next generation. When it comes to parenting, here is what the 36-year-old Russian former tennis player, Maria Sharapova has to say about her approach to fulfilling her responsibilities. The former number one had to take an early retirement due to a shoulder injury in 2020. Since then she has been busy focusing on her personal life and raising her child with her long-time fiance Alexander Gilkes.

The couple got engaged in 2020, and they welcomed their first child, Theo on 1 July. 2022. Sharapova has been a fierce competitor in her prime days and has won 5 Grand Slam titles in her career. Now, she looks to triumph in her off-court life as well. Here’s what she revealed about how she evolved herself as a mother.

Maria Sharapova puts light on her journey of parenting

Sharapova had earlier revealed how she used to never think twice about leaving her son at home for her work commitments. But now things have changed a bit, and she’s now more of a ‘protective parent’. Sharapova said she even has to weigh the importance of the trips these days. Here’s how she reflected more on the journey of her parenting.

“You need somebody in your corner that is pushing you and protecting you. And they are very different roles. And I think when you are not perhaps connected to the child as a parent, the protection element is difficult to achieve at that level. As a parent, I felt very much since becoming a mother this wanting to be and wanting to do anything I could to be there for my son. Because I want him to be under my wing and feel that he’s safe and secure and happy.” said Maria Sharapova.

She further added: “And I don’t know if it’s not someone that was with you from a young age, and that has seen you grow up. And that is just invested in you as a human being. It’s, I think, hard to build a skill of being like a protective parent and playing that role,“.

Maria Sharapova was introduced to the racket sport at the age of 4. She became the world number 1 at the age of 18 and then went on to win 36 career titles in her career. Her journey on the court has been quite interesting, just like her life off the court.

Sharapova knows how it feels to stay away from a mother

The 36-year-old tennis diva recently shared her experience of staying away from her mother while she was in the US. Her father took her to Florida at the age of 5 for better training facilities and her mother Yelena had to stay back in Russia.

She revealed how difficult was it to connect with people during those days. Little Sharapova had to rely only on letters to connect with her mother.

She highlighted even after days of not seeing each other’s faces, how her mother still managed to stay positive. Sharapova revealed her mother always used to look at the brighter side of the stories and how she was happy seeing them travel to the US to pursue her dream in the racket sport.

Maria Sharapova had an astonishing run in her 19-year career span. Share some of your memorable moments from her epic run in the comment box.