For nearly two decades, tennis great Maria Sharapova traveled to every corner of the world with her racquet, laser-focused on every stroke at more than 800 matches and picking up five Grand Slam trophies as souvenirs. So when she retired in 2020, she let go of her baggage—quite literally.
“I used to travel with a lot of bags because I had just so many things for my profession,” the 38-year-old told Travel + Leisure. “One of the most liberating aspects of being retired is that I love traveling with a carry-on. Even if I feel like I under-packed, it feels so liberating to travel light.”
Her favorite moments on the road these days are equally low-key. “Now I’m a lover of hotel baths because when I’m at home, especially with my son, I don’t have time for a proper bath,” she said, calling bathing an “art.” Equally important is her morning cup of joe. “I’m a bit of a coffee snob,” she admitted, hopping through shops in every destination she visits.
Just last weekend, she discovered Springline Coffee in Newport, Rhode Island, which was “very delicious” in a “setting that was so sweet, right on the bay.”
But the satisfying brew wasn’t the only thing that brought her to the coastal town. Little did Sharapova know when she moved from her native Russia to Florida to start training at just seven years old in 1995 that exactly 30 years later, she’d find her way up the coast to the International Tennis Hall of Fame (ITHF). She was just honored as one of the 2025 inductees, cementing her place in tennis history in the new Hall of Famers Gallery, unveiled in May.
“I love visiting the museum,” she said of the historic site of the Newport Casino, where the precursor to the U.S. Open was first played in 1881. “You really appreciate the evolution of the game, whether it is the clothing or shoes that were worn, or the racquets, strings, or balls used—you’re able to witness it all in one space.”
With Maria Sharapova
Go-to room service order?
Pasta bolognese.
Dream travel destination still on your list?
Bhutan!
Tennis player who’s the best travel companion?
Well, now it’s Serena!
Favorite tennis venue?
Either Arthur Ashe [at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center] or Stadium Court in Wimbledon.
Favorite city to play tennis?
I’d say New York. There’s something about the energy. Even though I’m very focused on just being present and not taking too many of the voices in, I learned to really adapt and understand the New York City crowd and use it to my advantage. They really pulled me through some of the toughest matches when I didn’t play my best or when I was down. A night match at the U.S. Open—there’s nothing like it!
Among the tennis champion-turned-entrepreneur’s favorite displays are the Nike dresses she wore, as well as the branded tennis cans. “I love building brands, so seeing the visual and creative aspects like that gave me a lot of ideas,” she said.
But the most epic part of her ITHF induction weekend came in the form of a surprise she kept for months: asking her on-court rival of nearly 15 years, none other than Serena Williams, to introduce her.
Dakota Moyer/International Tennis Hall of Fame
“That was a full-circle moment,” Sharapova admits of the surprise. “It started when I was a young girl watching her play with Venus, and just being so inspired by their strength and how amazing they were at their craft. Then facing Serena for so many years and now having her accepting and inducting me into the Hall of Fame.”
Their famous rivalry had started cooling behind the scenes, ironically through the course of several Met Galas, as their conversations grew longer without the pressure of the scoreboard looming over them. Soon they discovered that not only were they more alike than they thought, but that perhaps they could actually be friends, a sentiment on display through their fun-loving jabs at one another during the ceremony. Despite Williams’ tight schedule, Sharapova said her new pal even stayed for the celebration after the induction.
Famous for her laser-focused grit and grind—whether it was playing at Wimbledon (her favorite Grand Slam), the Stuttgart Open (her other favorite tournament), or New York (her favorite city to play in)—Sharapova didn’t have much time to travel for fun until more recently. “I only started taking vacations when I was like 20 years old, already in the midst of my career,” she said, explaining that with the tennis tour schedule, it was always just one week in November after the final tournament of the season in Asia. But she took advantage of the location, taking numerous trips to Thailand, Indonesia, and Japan, with the latter being her favorite.
She recently revisited Japan, staying at all three Aman Resorts—Aman Tokyo, Aman Kyoto, and Amanemu in Ise-Shima—as part of her role as the brand’s global wellness ambassador. While enjoying the unique experiences at each, she was especially taken by the Tokyo property, calling it “just significant, like another level of service,” also loving its Japanese breakfast and traditional baths.
Aman Resorts
“In Kyoto, I would wake up really early, jetlagged, and just be in this outdoor hot spring on my own as the light was coming through,” she said, adding, “I need that right now!”
She was already a fan of Aman hotels from her years on the road, so this partnership is another full-circle moment. “I would take my mom and my friends to a different Aman every season during my limited time off. To now align all of the things that I applied into my career into my partnership with Aman has been really special.”
Julian Finney/Getty Images
Another aspect she’s taken into her post-court life is embracing the outdoors. While she admitted that jet lag “is still a tricky one to beat,” her go-to move was to bond with nature. “I just love to run or walk, and if I can do it barefoot on grass, that’s helpful,” Sharapova said. “I used to do that as part of my recovery when I played, so there are a few lessons I’ve taken into retirement.”
She also hopes to continue embracing quiet travel, especially on road trips, mentioning that she savors “being in control of your destination, if you want to pivot and go somewhere else” and liking “the freedom of being able to stop off and take photographs.” One of her favorite road trips is up the California coastline, along the “most beautiful cliffs, whether it’s Big Sur or all the way to Napa,” especially enjoying the farm-to-table food culture that “is even better now than it was years ago.” But then she pauses and admits, “I’m saying it as if I do this very often. I really don’t. But I have done it, and I really love it.”
After all, these days, Sharapova’s top priority is her son, three-year-old Theodore. Though he often stays with family when she travels for work, the toddler definitely has had his passport stamped, with one of the most memorable family vacations being a trip to Greece this past summer. “He’s now at that age where he’s swimming a little bit more on his own,” she said. “Seeing that progress, you become a proud mom, like, ‘Oh, you don’t need floats, you can do it on your own.’”
While the long trips can be challenging with the little one, she has settled into this new travel style. “You just have to lean into knowing it’s not going to be as smooth as you like, and remember that you’ll be happy on the other side of it,” the pro said.
But Sharapova revels in the opportunity to show him the world. “Travel has really impacted me in so many positive ways,” she said of wanting to instill that same spirit in her son. “Culturally, you lean into things that are unfamiliar, whether it’s a language barrier or food culture,” Sharapova said. “It’s a really healthy distraction. It gets you out of your daily routine. It also challenges your thoughts, because you usually have a certain way of life, and then you go to a country or state and they cook differently, or they shop for their groceries differently, or their art is different. The idea of exploring and opening your mind to other places is fascinating.”
