Speaking to Mellody Hobson on an episode of her own podcast, Pretty Tough, the retired Russian star said: “The first big purchase I made after I got my really big cheque after winning my first Grand Slam, I went to a mattress shop and I spent so much money.

“I am so embarrassed to say it! I was with my mum buying it, but I came home and my dad asked, ‘Where were you girls?’ I was like, ‘We went shopping’. He’s like, ‘What bag did you buy?’

“‘No, we didn’t buy a bag. A mattress. Dad, it cost us $10,000’. The look on his face was priceless. But guess what? I still have the mattress!”

Sharapova might have spent just under £8k of her £560k winners’ cheque, but she banked an incredible £29,270,963 ($38,777,962) during her career, making her the seventh-highest earner in WTA history, based on prize money alone.

When she was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2025, the Russian thanked her long-time agent, Max Eisenbud, who has also worked with Emma Raducanu. “You played a role far more significant than what’s written on your resume. You were my shield, the ultimate punching bag, the one who unapologetically said ‘no’ on my behalf over and over again,” Sharapova told him.

Reflecting on her own career, she added: “My journey was a winding one, complete with the highest of highs, the lowest of lows, and all the uncertain ground in between. Believe it or not, there’s no playbook on how to navigate those twists and turns – on how to be great for the long haul. But if there’s one single quality that can guide you to greatness in the absence of that playbook, I believe it’s grit.”