How Maria Sharapova spent 2025.
August 2025 became a symbolic point in Maria Sharapova’s career – in Newport she was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. The ceremony, the parents’ speech, the introduction from Serena Williams, the ring at the US Open – it all looked like a summing up of a long and successful journey in tennis.
But 2025 itself showed: Sharapova lives not in the past, but in the present, in which tennis remains an important part of life, but no longer the main one.
Sharapova is close to the tour and closely follows the new generation
In March, Sharapova reappeared in the tennis community, albeit not on the court. Andrey Rublev published a photo with Maria and singer Pink after the Desert Smash charity tournament in California. At the same time, Sharapova actively spoke out about modern women’s tennis. The Russian admitted that she was especially interested in watching Cori Gauff, noted the inspiring path of Ons Jabeur and especially singled out Mirra Andreeva.
— I’m a big fan of Cori Gauff. She is exciting to watch and has a bright future ahead of her, even though she has already won a Grand Slam. In addition, she presents herself well off the court. Ons Jabeur has an incredible story and has inspired many girls to take up tennis in a region where tennis is not common. And finally, another talented girl I’m rooting for is Mirra Andreeva. “She just recently climbed into the top 10, so she’s definitely worth keeping an eye on,” popsugar.com quoted Sharapova as saying.
Mirra Andreeva / Photo: © Robert Prange / Contributor / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru
After Andreeva’s victory at the Indian Wells tournament, Sharapova congratulated her, emphasizing that Mirra played collectedly and deserved the title.
Maria is not shy about appearing in public
On April 19, Maria Sharapova turned 38 years old. She has not been on the court for several years, but this is not required to maintain her status as one of the greatest tennis players in history. Five Grand Slam titles, a career Slam, 36 victories at WTA singles tournaments, the Fed Cup won as part of the Russian national team, silver at the 2012 Olympics and 21 weeks as the world’s first racket have long been recorded in tennis history.
Maria Sharapova / Photo: © Joe Buglewicz / Stringer / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru
In April, Sharapova attended the Breakthrough Prize ceremony in Santa Monica for the third year in a row. A little later, she appeared at the unveiling of Billie Jean King’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, supporting one of the key figures in the history of women’s sports.
In the summer, Sharapova visited Wimbledon with David Beckham. The former champion of the tournament attracted attention with a bold look – a denim skirt, which is not quite usual for the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Later, Maria ironically said that she specifically checked whether denim was allowed at Wimbledon. It turned out it was allowed.
Maria Sharapova / Photo: © Karwai Tang / Contributor / WireImage / Gettyimages.ru
Sharapova also reminded of herself as a person with a clear position. She criticized The Wall Street Journal’s article about Aryna Sabalenka, in which the physical power of the world’s first racket was presented through a dubious headline. Sharapova’s comment was brief but resonant: “What is this headline and what is this article? You can do better.”
The text talked about the physical power of Arina Sabalenka, because of which she has to look for sparring partners of equal strength in the men’s tour for training.
In July, Maria became the global ambassador of a large financial brand, with which Lewis Hamilton had previously collaborated. The contract is designed for several years and involves Sharapova’s participation in international campaigns and media projects.
Hall of Fame and reconciliation with the main rival
The culmination of the year came in August. Sharapova received a personalized jacket from the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport and then officially became a member of the Hall of Fame at a special ceremony. Maria became only the third representative of Russia in the Hall of Fame after Marat Safin and Yevgeny Kafelnikov.
Particular attention was drawn to the figure of Serena Williams, who represented Sharapova at the ceremony. The American said that their rivalry was fierce due to the similarity of characters and maximalism. In her speech, Maria addressed her parents, specifically thanking her father for believing in her in the early stages of her career and her mother for her support and values that went beyond sports.
– Dad, we really did it. I was nervous when you said that you would choose your own suit for today, but it turned out okay, you look good, I approve. I am very lucky to walk this path under your wing. When no one believed in us, you believed. You were committed to what you did and never looked back. You were strict and demanded that I raise my standards, but you never forgot that you were my father first. I am immensely grateful for this.
Mom, I know that you could never watch my matches because you were too nervous. But I hope you’re the one watching. Today I am wearing the pearl bracelet that you bought with our first big check. You are the epitome of elegance, kindness, unconditional love, this is what you teach me every day. “I love you with all my heart, and I am very lucky that I can call you my best friend,” Sharapova said at the ceremony.
Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova / Photo: © Joe Buglewicz / Stringer / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru
Maria and Serena were not spared.
“She was the first person I thought of.” I wrote to her and asked: “Do you have a minute?” I received an answer. We talked for an hour and that’s how it all turned out. I can’t believe we managed to keep this secret for so long. There is deep and mutual respect between us. We understand the efforts and sacrifices we made to become champions. But there is only one trophy – and we both wanted to take it. And we stood in each other’s way. We fought. It’s nice to build friendship after all these matches,” Sharapova said on ESPN.
A few days later at the US Open, Kim Clijsters presented Sharapova with a Hall of Fame ring on Center Court after the evening’s match.
Podcast, rare training and public reflections
At the end of August, Maria announced the launch of a podcast, which is dedicated to conversations with women leaders from different fields – from business to culture. And in October, Sharapova unexpectedly showed a video from her first training session in more than two years. She noted the high prices for stringing, joked about the reaction of salespeople at the tennis store and admitted that those 30 minutes without the phone were the best of the day. Sharapova also explained why she does not play tennis after retiring.
“To be honest, I just don’t want to be a sad version of my former self.” I have always appreciated speed, instant reaction, and power in tennis. When you don’t play for a long time, you don’t have all this anymore,” Sharapova said on the David Rubenstein show.
Maria Sharapova in training / Photo: © Social networks of Maria Sharapova
At the same time, physical fitness is still important – Maria regularly trains in the gym, admitting that strength training quickly goes away without consistency.
Family occupies a special place in Sharapova’s life. In 2025, she showed how she teaches her three-year-old son Theodore the names of flowers in Russian. In the fall, it also became known that basketball player Luka Doncic purchased her house in Manhattan Beach for $25 million. The sale of real estate is associated with the desire to spend more time in Europe with her lover Alexander Gilkes and her son.
Maria Sharapova with Alexander Gilks and son Theodore / Photo: © Social networks of Maria Sharapova
In 2025, Sharapova’s achievements in tennis were formalized at a ceremony in Newport, while Maria maintains an active public role, but also a distance from professional sports. Sharapova doesn’t try to play into the past – and that’s why she remains relevant.
