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When Russian Star Maria Sharapova Shocked the Tennis World With Her Unlikely Friendship With Donald Trump’s Daughter Ivanka

Published 08/17/2022, 5:11 PM EDT

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Maria Sharapova, despite retiring more than two years ago from professional tennis, still enjoys a huge fan following on social media. It was the same case during her playing career as well. Although Sharapova had millions of fans who knew the ins and outs of the Russian star’s activities, it surprised most of her fanbase when she posted about a gift from a close friend. 

The 5-time Grand Slam champion tweeted a picture of her holding a bag of goodies that she received from the WomenWhoWork initiative.

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Maria Sharapova supported Ivanka’s WomenWhoWork initiative

In a post from 2015, Maria Sharapova shared a surprise gift that she received from Ivanka Trump. Ivanka is an American Businesswoman, former model, and writer. The daughter of Donald Trump launched a new initiative at that time, which was themed around celebrating women in the professional sphere. 

Sharapova captioned the tweet “What a nice surprise! Thank you @IvankaTrump for the fun #womenwhowork holiday gift!” Ivanka’s initiative chose the Russian star, a modern working woman who built her splendid professional life while effectively balancing it with her personal endeavors. 

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Earlier, as per Ivanka’s website, the initiative’s focus was around working women. “We’re doing work we love, work that inspires us, and we’re also pursuing our passions and making them priorities. We sat with 12 amazing women to ask what work looks like to each of them.” 

 

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The former Russian tennis player retired professionally in the year 2020. Since then, she is working off the court, putting all her knowledge into her business ventures, and is a proud mother to a baby boy. 

Sharapova’s exemplary tennis career

Sharapova was a teenage sensation. After winning the Wimbledon crown in 2004 at the age of 17, she won four more major trophies in her illustrious career. At a very young age, Sharapova had to leave her country and move to the US. For the first 12 years of her professional life, Sharapova remained one of the best players in the world. However, she received a 2-year suspension for using a banned substance in 2016, which was later reduced to 15 months.

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Although Sharapova made a solid comeback in 2017, she struggled with injuries. In her last notable season in 2018, Sharapova finished in the top 30. However, she could only participate in eight events in 2019. The following year, after losing to Jennifer Brady and Donna Vekic in Brisbane and the Australian Open, the Russian ended her career.

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Written by:

Pratishtha Prakash

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Pratishtha Prakash is a Tennis Writer at EssentiallySports. She has completed her Bachelor’s degree in Mass Media and Journalism from MIT ADT University, Pune. Being a sports enthusiast, she has a keen interest in tennis, cricket and esports.
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Edited by:

Tony Thomas