Tennis Legend Maria Sharapova Retires: Five-Time Grand Slam Winner Brings Career to End

Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova has decided to quit the sport at the age of 32, bringing an abrupt end to a hugely successful career that had hit the buffers in recent years.

Sharapova has decided to bring an end to her tennis career after falling to 373 in the world, having previously been number one ranked in 2005 and 2007. More recently she had served a 15-month ban after testing positive for banned substance meldonium.

After coming back from the ban in 2017 she suffered a string of injuries and had crashed out of her last three Grand Slam events in round one. 

Sharapova 36 WTA titles and her five Grand Slams came at the French Open (twice), US Open, Wimbledon and the Australian Open and as well as accruing over $38m in prize money she is said to have amassed as much as $285m in total from winnings, sponsorship and other endeavors.

She was named the highest paid female athlete for 11 consecutive years by Forbes magazine, such was the marketability of the talented tennis pro.

Though still only in her early 30s it’s worth noting that Sharapova turned professional way back in 2001 and as such has spent almost two decades in the sport and no doubt has no shortage of offers outside of the sport, or perhaps could be looking to move into becoming a tennis pundit.

Her last Grand Slam win came in 2014, where she outclassed Simona Halep in a three-set thriller, and her last top level final came the year after when she lost out to Serena Williams in Melbourne at the Aussie Open.

Reflecting on her choice to call it quits, Sharapova noted that it was her 6-1 6-1 defeat against Serena Williams in the first round of the US Open last year that was the “first signal” that the time to bow out was approaching.