Maria Sharapova has fired her new coach Jimmy Connors after the Russian lost to Sloane Stephens at the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati. The match was the first for the Sharapova-Connors duo after the American tennis legend was hired for the job after Wimbledon this year.
Earlier this year, Sharapova had split with her long time coach Thomas Hogstedt, who was replaced by the eight-time Grand Slam champion Jimmy Connors. The player-coach relationship was not in the best of terms during their short stint.
Max Eisenbud, Sharapova’s IMG agent, while talking about the fallout said: “It’s not the right fit at this time in her career.”
Eisenbud also revealed that the Russian star will compete in the US Open without a coach.