Maria Sharapova has stunned the world by retiring from tennis at the age of 32.
In an announcement she made on Wednesday 26 February 2020, the tennis star revealed that she has ended her career in the sport that made her famous.
In her retirement statement, she states:
Looking back now, I realize 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, I’m ready to scale another mountain—to compete on a different type of terrain…. Tennis showed me the world—and it showed me what I was made of. It’s how I tested myself and how I measured my growth. And so in whatever I might choose for my next chapter, my next mountain, I’ll still be pushing. I’ll still be climbing. I’ll still be growing.
Sharapova became the world number 1 for the first time on August 22, 2015, at the age of 18, becoming the first Russian female tennis player to top the singles ranking.
She held the ranking for the fifth time for four weeks (from June 11, 2012, to July 8, 2012). Her five Grand Slam titles and 36 singles titles rank Sharapova third among active players, behind Serena Williams and Venus Williams.
