MARIA SHARAPOVA has announced her retirement from tennis at the age of 32.
The Russian star burst on to the scene in 2004 when she stunned the sporting world by winning Wimbledon at 17.
She went on to win a total of five Grand Slam titles but her career never recovered after serving a two-year drugs ban for testing positive for meldonium.
Injuries to her shoulder and arm over the past 18 months led her to decide to hang up her racket after returning to Los Angeles from the Australian Open this year, where she lost to Donna Vekic in the first round.
Writing for Vanity Fair as she made the announcement, Sharapova said: “How do you leave behind the only life youve ever known? How do you walk away from the courts youve trained on since you were a little girl, the game that you loveone which brought you untold tears and unspeakable joysa sport where you found a family, along with fans who rallied behind you for more than 28 years?
“Im new to this, so please forgive me. Tennis Im saying goodbye.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I think Id ever win on the sports biggest stagesand on every surface. Wimbledon seemed like a good place to start. I was a naive 17-year-old, still collecting stamps, and didnt understand the magnitude of my victory until I was olderand Im glad I didnt.
“Ive never really felt compelled to speak about work, or effort, or gritevery athlete understands the unspoken sacrifices they must make to succeed.
“But as I embark on my next chapter, I want anyone who dreams of excelling in anything to know that doubt and judgment are inevitable: you will fail hundreds of times, and the world will watch you. Accept it. Trust yourself. I promise that you will prevail.
“In giving my life to tennis, tennis gave me a life. Ill miss it everyday. Ill miss the training and my daily routine: waking up at dawn, lacing my left shoe before my right, and closing the courts gate before I hit my first ball of the day.
“Ill miss my team, my coaches. Ill miss the moments sitting with my father on the practice court bench. The handshakes win or lose and the athletes, whether they knew it or not, who pushed me to be my best.
“Looking back now, I realise that tennis has been my mountain. My path has been filled with valleys and detours, but the views from its peak were incredible.
“After 28 years and five Grand Slam titles, though, Im ready to scale another mountainto compete on a different type of terrain.”
More to follow
