NEW VENTURE: Maria Sharapova speaks during a press conference at the Roland Garros Stadium, in Paris yesterday. (EPA)
AFP/Paris
Maria Sharapova is hoping that her new role as a businesswoman will provide her with the inspiration to add to her haul of four Grand Slam titles.
The 26-year-old Russian, the French Open defending champion, arrived early in Paris to attend the French launch of her SugarPova Candy Collection, which her official website describes as “a premium candy line that reflects the fun, fashionable, sweet side of international tennis sensation Maria Sharapova”.
It’s her first truly independent venture into the world of big business following the record $70million endorsement deal she signed with sportswear giant Nike in 2010 and it is one she believes can help her on the courts.
“I like to have other things to think about, because when you get on the court you have a fresh perspective on your game and what you need to do,” Sharapova said at a press conference at Roland Garros.
“I think if I was thinking about cross-courts and down-the-line (all the time), I’d be pretty depressed. It’s nice to have different elements.
“Everyone has different interests and passions. Obviously my candy brand has been a big business for me, an important one, one I have worked on for almost three years now.
“It’s one big learning experience, and I feel like every day I’m learning something new about it. Keeps me going and entertained. I get to work with many different people. It’s a big team effort as well. That’s been really nice.”
Meanhile, it was back to the day job for Sharapova yesterday as she completed her preparations to defend the French Open title she so surprisingly won last year, defeating Sara Errani of Italy in the final.
Having compared herself to “a cow on ice” during previous fruitless campaigns on the Roland Garros clay-courts, Sharapova took full advantage of a weakened field and a first-round loss by Serena Williams to complete her career Grand Slam haul of Australian, French, Wimbledon and US Open titles.
And since then she has proved to be one of the most consistent players at the top of the women’s game, regaining the world number one spot before she was overtaken in the last few weeks by Williams.
And the American again is the main obstacle standing in the way of Sharapova successfully defending a Grand Slam title for the first time in Paris.
The Russian opened her clay-court season with a title win in Stuttgart, but was then easily beaten by Williams in Madrid before pulling out of the Rome quarter-finals with an illness.
She currently stands 2-13 against Williams and has not beaten the American since 2004, the year she won Wimbledon.
Still, Sharapova, who says she has fully recovered from her Rome illness, believes that her hard work can once again pay dividends. “It never came easy for me to play on the clay, and that’s why it took many years,” she said. “But yet I felt like with every year I was getting closer - got to a couple of semi-finals - and last year I just felt like everything came together in many different ways.”