"At the moment I don't see my heir on the horizon": Sharapova admits current WTA crop can't be compared to her

Maria Sharapova was a true tennis superstar both on and off the court and she recently admitted that she doesn't see a player that could be considered her heir.

Maria Sharapova arrived on the tennis scene in style as a teenager and for a good decade, she was one of the biggest stars in the world. Fans flocked to the stadiums to see her play and she proved equally successful off the court with various endeavours such as her business things. There are players that play similarly to Sharapova's hard-hitting style but there are no players that carry her star power at the moment.

She was a true superstar and in a recent interview with the Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport, Sharapova admitted that she doesn't see her heir on the horizon:

“At the moment I don't see my heir on the horizon. There are excellent players with different styles. The formula for success is not easy to achieve, you need a perfect balance between the game, commitments with sponsors and free time".

She's right in that there is no real heir on the horizon. Swiatek is a great player but not the sponsor magnet like Sharapova was. Rybakina and Sabalenka too lack the draw from sponsors which someone like Gauff might have but she's not at the peak of her game. The closest one in that regard was possibly Emma Raducanu who for a few months after her US Open triumph looked like a global superstar. She was a reigning grand slam champion and she had sponsors lining up for her.

Even two years later she has sponsors lined up and people talk about her often despite not doing anything of note on the tennis court for two years basically.