Singapore –Tania Bryer conducted a rare, personal interview with Maria Sharapova the superstar athlete, entrepreneur and humanitarian.
The 30-minute interview premiered in Asia on 28 March at 10am and excerpts will be available online. The programme will also air on CNBC networks in Europe and the United States.
In the programme, Maria talked to Tania about her stardom, her upbringing and the sacrifices she made to become number 1 in the world, the injury that nearly ended her career and how she created her multi-million dollar business Sugarpova. She also revealed why creating The Maria Sharapova Foundation to help children and families who were affected by the Chernobyl disaster is so important to her.
Maria also talked about the pressures of the game, beating Serena Williams, which led to the start of an on-court rivalry lasting to this day, as well as her relationship with Serena. Sharapova commented in the interview, “She’s at the peak of her career. I am now number 2 in the world. I feel like we’re still driven and hungry to be the best tennis players. I don’t think anyone in the tennis world believed that, in ten years’ time, we would still be rivals. I think it’s an incredible story.”
In addition to discussing the game, Maria also commented on why she’s never been tempted to become a U.S. citizen even though she’s lived in the US since she was seven. Sharapova commented in the interview, “I actually don’t see myself going back to Russia at this point especially during my career and living there, but I think it’s more of a feeling that you have inside of yourself. I’ve had many opportunities and probably I would have if I wanted to but it’s never actually a question in my family or in my team whether I wanted to change citizenships.”
We also heard from former Wimbledon Champion Virginia Wade, tennis legend Billie Jean King and the man who trained her, Nick Bollettieri, at the IMG Academy. Each gave further insight into this extraordinary Siberian born prodigy who has become the highest paid female athlete in the world.
