Maria Sharapova Retires As One Of Only Ten To Accomplish Historic Feat

Maria Sharapova has retired from tennis as one of the more iconic athletes to play the sport. She recently broke the news of calling it a career in an essay she wrote to Vanity Fair, saying “goodbye” to tennis. Sharapova has been involved with the sport since she was a child and has been rallied by the world for 28 years.

She is a multiple-time Grand Slam winner and has been one of the more famous athletes in the world. She started her career in Russia and her family moved to the United States to pursue her training with Nick Bollettieri.

She rose to fame in the early 2000s and claimed the spot as one of the top young stars in the 2004 season. Her aggressive play style coupled with a fiery intensity on the court made her an immediate crowd favorite. Her spectacular stint in the Wimbledon championships caught the attention of the world.

Sharapova was only 17 at that time but she was able to conquer some giants in the sport – most notably Serena Williams in the Finals. She became one of the youngest players to ever win the prestigious grass-court Grand Slam as she defeated Williams in convincing fashion. It was a straight-set victory, 6-1, 6-4 that propelled her to be one of the biggest names in tennis.

She would go on to win a total of five Majors throughout her career. She has won all four Grand Slams at least once, claiming the French Open twice. She is only one of ten women in the history of the sport to complete the career Grand Slam. She is within the ranks of the Williams sisters, Steffi Graf, Margaret Court and other legends of tennis.

She was fined and suspended in the 2016 campaign for using the newly banned substance meldonium. She claimed that it was for magnesium deficiency and a family history of diabetes.

As she served her suspension, Sharapova bounced back after her time off the court. She will also be remembered as someone who has overcome a series of injuries and adversity throughout her career. As for how Sharapova claims it, her mental fortitude has always been one of her biggest strengths.