The tennis player has a new love. Is this the end of a career?
After the failure at Wimbledon, she suddenly cuts the game schedule and withdraws from the tournament in San Jose, and in social networks, instead of the usual photos from training, she publishes pictures from popular world resorts. Fans increasingly see her in the company of a boyfriend - millionaire Alexander Gilks, and rumors are circulating that the wedding is just around the corner. For a long time the racket of Maria Sharapova was shrouded.
"I will not play until I'm 30" She Said
In April 2018, Maria Sharapova turned 31 years old. 10 years ago in an interview she said: "I will not play until I was 30, that's for sure. I hope that by this time I will have a good husband and several children. When I have a child, I will forget about tennis. " Reasoning so in 2008, Maria did not know yet that fate had prepared for her several surprises. In 2016, a doping test of a tennis player gave a positive result to the meldonia. After 15 months of "imprisonment" for the violation, Sharapova set out to prove to the whole world that she had not broken down and was ready to return to the elite. It was no longer the life of an exemplary wife: "I will play until they take me away from the court," she wrote in her autobiography.
But the return was not easy. Sharapova took more than a year to enter the top thirty of the best tennis players in the world. Old injuries, misunderstandings with the coach, problems with the set of forms - all this led Sharapov to a severe psychological crisis. Doha, Indian Wells, Stuttgart - none of these tournaments she played more than one match. In the spring Maria decided to replace the coach, returning to cooperation with Thomas Hogstedt. At first it really worked. Maria finally began to pass the first pitch, received shorter strokes, and most importantly - there was a fire in her eyes. But all the good things come to an end, and in the case of Sharapova it happened very quickly. In May, at Roland Garros, she again began to beat records in terms of the number of double and unforced errors.
Despite this, it was the spring of 2018 that was the most successful time after returning. A bunch of Madrid - Rome (two semifinals) gave Sharapova a reserve of points in the rating, and fans - hope. True, after the French Open, where the Russian lost in the quarterfinals, Maria spent a month resting and almost did not prepare for the grass season. At Wimbledon in early July, it turned into a defeat in the first round.
Now Sharapova has not played for a month. At first she explained it with health problems, then she stopped commenting on absence on the tour. For her speak photos in social networks: beaches, parties, restaurants, a boyfriend-millionaire and no tennis (or he remains off-screen). Is this what was said in 2008 that will come true, and Mary will never again submit to the heights, about which she so courageously dreamed a couple of years ago?
Happiness in your personal life
Sharapova was first seen in the company of British businessman Alexander Gilks in late January at the airport in Los Angeles. At once rumors spread that Gilks is her new lover. Those who have let these rumors go, I think they were not mistaken. The network continues to appear all the new pictures, which show how Maria and Alexander spend time together.
It is known about Gilkes enough, although in Russia it has never been popular. The owner of the auction house, the former Chevalier sister Kate Middleton and friends Megan Markle, Alexander is fond of painting (the fans noticed that Sharapova has more photos from the picture galleries in Instagram) and speaks Russian. For three years he was on the list of one hundred most influential people in the world of art according to the edition of Art + Auction and appeared on the covers of glossy magazines. The state of the 38-year-old Briton is estimated at several million pounds sterling, in the Foggy Albion he is an enviable fiancé. However, Sharapova is hardly interested in his money: she earned enough prizes and fees for advertising, to live in prosperity if not the great-grandchildren of Mary, then grandchildren - for sure.
A Russian woman does not seek to advertise these relations. Perhaps it is because of the bitter experience of the past, when the novels with basketball player Sasha Vuyachich and tennis player Grigor Dimitrov, developing before all eyes, ended in a break.
Serena's okay.
Sharapova was compelled to go to rest almost at the same time with her principal rival - Serena Williams. Only an American had to leave the court on a more pleasant occasion - the birth of her daughter. After giving birth, the American woman had serious health problems: she underwent a vascular surgery, and now she has to constantly wear compression clothing. Nike even presented her with a special suit of "female cat" and "superhero", as he called herself Serena.
The first meeting after the return of Williams and Sharapova was to take place at Roland Garros -2018, but half an hour before the match, the American withdrew from the tournament. Someone thought that she was frightened, but the official reason for not going to court is a hand injury. Be that as it may, Serena is now in order. The return was difficult for her, but, unlike Sharapova, the American has already come to form. At the last Wimbledon, Williams even reached the finals, where, however, lost to the German Angelique Kerber (3: 6, 3: 6).
The next tournament in the Sharapova calendar is Montreal. It starts on the 4th of August. Then - Cincinnati. Whether Maria will play there is known only to herself. It is interesting that the Russian woman is declared for both tournaments, but the dates of their holding are superimposed on each other. The final of Montreal is scheduled for August 12, and Cincinnati begins on the 11th. This means that Sharapova either does not expect to reach the finals in Canada, or withdraw from one of the tournaments.
At the moment it occupies a comfortable 22nd line of the world ranking, and this place allows you to be seeded at almost any tournament. However, this situation has become "comfortable" recently: maximalism has diminished, and it has become difficult to motivate.
"What now to expect from Sharapova? Nothing. She just needs to play more, "said Shamil Tarpishchev, president of the Russian Tennis Federation, who recently does just that, justifying the former first racket of the world.
It is possible that the downtime in Sharapova's career will soon end. It's already happened. Moreover, ahead - hard season, traditionally successful for Russians. Although Maria several times and hinted about the imminent retirement of a career, until she spoke about it seriously. The main task now is to try to find a balance between personal and professional. But can Sharapova continue to resist the temptations of life outside the court - a big question.
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