Five-time Grand Slam winner Maria Sharapova announces her retirement from tennis in an emotional essay in Vanity Fair – three years after coming from a drugs ban
- Maria Sharapova has confirmed that she will retire from tennis at the age of 32
- The five-time Grand Slam winner penned an emotional essay in Vanity Fair
- In it, Sharapova reveals her ‘body has become a distraction’ due to her injuries
- The decision to retire comes three years after her return following a drugs ban
Maria Sharapova has announced her retirement from tennis at just the age of 32 after winning five Grand Slam titles during her career.
She has announced she will be quitting her beloved sport in an emotional interview with Vanity Fair on Wednesday, in which she claimed her ‘body has become a distraction’ due to injury problems haunting her career.
The 32-year-old Russian said: ‘I’m new to this, so please forgive me. Tennis —I’m saying goodbye.’
Maria Sharapova announced her retirement from tennis at the age of 32 on Wednesday
Five-time Grand Slam winner Sharapova celebrates winning Wimbledon back in 2004
During her career, Sharapova won Wimbledon, the Australian Open and the US Open once, while clinching the French Open twice.
Her retirement comes just three years after returning from her drugs ban following a failed test from the 2016 Australian Open, in which she tested positive for meldonium.
On Wednesday, Sharapova said: ‘I share this not to garner pity, but to paint my new reality: My body had become a distraction. ‘
More to follow…
The Russian drops to her knees after clinching her first ever Grand Slam title at Wimbledon
Sharapova speaks out at a press conference after testing positive for meldonium in 2016