Former world number one Maria Sharapova announced the premiere of her own podcast. It is titled Pretty Tough. The former tennis player stated that her guests will be women who have achieved success.
“For most of my career, I’ve heard that I can’t have it all”
Sharapova announced the first season of her show on her social media.
“I present Pretty Tough — my new show about striving for excellence without apologies. It redefines how we talk about women’s ambitions and explores the multifaceted nature of what makes us who we are. Here’s a little teaser of what’s to come! The first episode premieres on April 22,” Maria wrote.
“For most of my career, I’ve heard that I can’t have it all. I can’t be tough on the court and graceful off it. I can’t exist in all these spaces at once. And women constantly hear this. They face skeptics who try to box them in and voices asking, ‘Do you have permission for that?’ That’s how this podcast was born. I want to talk to women leaders who have given themselves permission to move forward, take action, and believe in something greater than just other people’s opinions of them,” Sharapova admitted.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the guests of the first season will include American television host Chelsea Handler and NFL Chief Financial Officer Christine Doffler.
Maria first announced the podcast back in August 2025. However, the start of the first season had to be postponed until April of this year.
How the athlete earned money
Sharapova holds a rare achievement: throughout her career, she won all four Grand Slam tournaments. Moreover, she conquered the French Open twice: in 2012 and 2014. In total, Maria won 39 WTA titles (36 of which were in singles).
From prize money alone, the tennis player earned $38.7 million. Additionally, she had sponsorship agreements with TAG Heuer, Sony Ericsson, Land Rover, Samsung, Canon, Tiffany, and Nike. The latter was valued by Vedomosti at $70 million over eight years.
One of Sharapova’s most famous projects was the candy brand Sugarpova. Back in 2019, it was reported to generate over $20 million a year, but it soon literally disappeared: the website is not operational, and there have been no posts on social media for the past five years.
Sharapova retired in 2020, and in 2024, she was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. She is now 38 years old.
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