I was born in Siberia.
My parents fled Belarus because of Chernobyl
when my mother was pregnant with me,
and when I was 2 years old,
we moved to the south of Russia, to Sochi.
My parents were very young when they had me.
My dad was working construction. My mom was still in university.
My dad was very passionate about sports,
and one day, when he went to play some tennis,
I picked up a racket
and started hitting against the wall by myself.
I went to a clinic when I was 5 1/2 years old in Moscow
held by Martina Navratilova.
After the clinic, she pulled my father aside
and said that I have a great potential
to become a really good player
and that we should consider moving to the United States.
The transition to the United States
was incredibly tough.
My mom was left behind because of visa issues,
so I didn't see her for the first two years.
My dad was trying to find local jobs here and there.
I barely knew any English,
and my dad even knew less than I did.
When I was 14 years old, I made my professional debut,
and that's when I started playing with the big girls.
In 2004, when I was just 17 years old,
I won my first Grand Slam, which was Wimbledon.
There was a lot of incredible opportunities
and endorsement deals from pretty major companies.
I started to understand that tennis wasn't just a game.
That was the first time that I really got a sense
of the real business world.
In 2012, I decided to start my candy company called Sugarpova.
I've had a sweet tooth ever since I was a very young girl,
and I still very much do.
We need to continue being fun,
colorful, and flirty. [ Chuckles ]
After being a small part of many big brands,
I wanted to be the one in the front office making decisions.
When you're in charge of your own business,
it's a completely different ballgame.
You're in charge of the distribution,
you're in charge of the creative,
you're in charge of the people you hire,
and I really wanted to make that step.
I like to invest in companies
that I'm personally passionate about.
I invested in Supergoop,
a sunscreen brand that I've loved for many years.
I invested in the UFC because I saw its potential worldwide.
I like the attitude that so many entrepreneurs have
that come on the show.
It's this "I won't give up until I get what I want."
That is the American dream,
that there is no finish line to what they do.
I had a very singular path in my life
toward becoming a successful athlete.
I wanted to achieve big things, I had big goals,
and I still think that there's more to achieve
on and off the court. 00:02:23.977,00:00:00.000 ♪