In a rare and emotional interview for a documentary about her journey through tennis and life, Maria Sharapova opened up about a chapter she has kept locked away for years — a relationship that once meant everything to her, and the painful choice that ultimately ended it.
Sitting in a quiet studio overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Sharapova spoke with a calm voice, but her eyes carried the weight of a decision she still questions.
“I chose my career over him,” she finally admitted. “Back then, I thought love could wait. I was wrong.”
A Love Story Hidden Behind Championships
According to the documentary, the relationship began long before Sharapova lifted Grand Slam trophies or became one of the most recognizable athletes in the world. He was her closest confidant, someone who understood her before fame complicated every part of her existence.
“He knew me when I was just Maria,” she said. “Not the player, not the brand, not the headline.”
But as her career accelerated — the relentless training, cross-continental travel, media pressure, sponsorship deals — the distance between them grew. Late-night flights replaced late-night conversations. Public appearances replaced private moments. Love, she admitted, slowly slipped to second place.
The Breaking Point
Sharapova revealed that the final fracture came during a season when she was ranked at the very top of the tennis world.
“We had a weekend planned. Something simple. Something normal,” she recalled.
“But then I got a call — a tournament wildcard, a last-minute invitation I couldn’t refuse.”
She canceled the trip.
He didn’t say much.
But that silence, she said, said everything.
“We didn’t break up that day,” she continued softly. “But we didn’t recover from it either.”
Success Comes With a Price
Sharapova went on to win titles, global endorsements, and a place in sports history. But in the documentary, she admitted that whenever she stood alone in a hotel room after a victory, there was always a voice inside her wondering if she had lost something far more precious than a match.
“I achieved everything I dreamed of,” she said. “But dreams can be lonely when you have no one to share them with.”
Would She Change Anything?
When asked if she regrets the decision, Sharapova paused for a long moment — the longest pause of the interview.
“I don’t regret my career,” she said.
“But I regret thinking I had to choose. I regret believing love and ambition couldn’t exist together.”
The documentary ends with Sharapova walking along the coastline at sunset, the waves crashing gently behind her. It doesn’t say whether the man from her past ever reentered her life — or if she hopes he will.
But one thing is clear:
Even champions carry heartbreak.
And even the strongest can look back and wonder what might have been.
