'I'm saying goodbye': Maria Sharapova announces tennis retirement

Maria Sharapova has announced her retirement from tennis. The five-times grand slam champion and former world No 1 has struggled with chronic shoulder problems and has slumped to 373 in the rankings.

In an emotional essay on vanityfair.com, Sharapova, 32, wrote: “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?

“I’m new to this, so please forgive me. Tennis – I’m saying goodbye.”

Sharapova won all four grand slams betwen 2006 and 2012, before adding a second Wimbledon crown in 2014. However in March 2016 she revealed that she had tested positive for meldonium, which led to a two-year ban – later reduced to 15 months – from the sport.

She first became world No 1 in August 2005, and went on to amass over $38m (£29m) in prize money alone. After returning in 2017 she won the Tianjin Open, her 36th career singles title and first since 2015.

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She told the Guardian of the circumstances behind her failed test: “I felt trapped, tricked, but I figured all I had to do was explain myself. Meldonium had been banned for four weeks. At worst, I had inadvertently been in violation of the ban for less than 28 days. But I soon realised I was running into a brick wall. If I failed to win my case, I could be banned for up to four years. It would be the end of my career.”

After a return to the top 30, injuries struck and hampered her participation in tournaments, including the return of a longstanding shoulder problem that required surgery in 2019. Having ended all of 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2012 as the No 1 in the world, and been a top five player as recently as 2016, she leaves the sport ranked 373rd.

source: theguardian.com