Former world number one Maria Sharapova retires from professional tennis
Tennis superstar Maria Sharapova retires from professional tennis
Tennis superstar Maria Sharapova has announced that she has retired from professional tennis.
“How do you leave behind the only life you’ve ever known? How do you walk away from the courts you’ve trained on since you were a little girl, the game that you love – one which brought you untold tears and unspeakable joys – a sport where you found a family, along with fans who rallied behind you for more than 28 years?" she wrote in an essay on Vanity Fair.
“I’m new to this, so please forgive me. Tennis – I’m saying goodbye.”
Sharapova, 32, took the tennis world by storm in 2004 when she won the Wimbledon at the age of 17, beating top seed and defending champion Serena Williams in the final.
Over the next few years she became the top-ranked women's tennis player, won four more grand slams and battled injuries.
In 2016, however, she suffered a fall from grace when she failed a drug test and was subsequently banned from the sport for two years.
Following her return she wasn't the same player, with a spate of injuries sending her ranking down to 373.
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