Maria Sharapova, a 5-time Grand Slam winner and former World Number 1, is retiring from tennis
- Maria Sharapova has announced her retirement from tennis.
- "Tennis-I'm saying goodbye," she wrote in an emotional column in Vanity Fair. "Tennis gave me a life. I'll miss it everyday."
- The Russian star won five Grand Slam titles during her 17 year professional career, most recently Wimbledon in 2014.
- In 2016 however, she was banned for 15 months after testing positive for a banned substance, and after returning to the court in 2017, picked up just one WTA title win.
- She retires ranked 373rd in the world.
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Maria Sharapova has announced her retirement from tennis.
The five-time Grand Slam champion broke the news in an emotional column in Vanity Fair on Wednesday.
"Tennis-I'm saying goodbye," she wrote. "In giving my life to tennis, tennis gave me a life. I'll miss it everyday."
"Tennis has been my mountain," she added. "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."
The 32-year-old also shared an extract of the essay on her Instagram, which has already received over 105,000 likes.
Sharapova began her professional career in 2003, and quickly went on to become world number one for the first time just two years later.
She won four of her Grand Slam titles between 2006 and 2012, before adding a fifth and now final major when she won Wimbledon in 2014.
In March 2016 however, the Russian star tested positive for banned substance meldonium and was subsequently banned for two years, though it was later reduced to 15 months.
After returning to the court in 2017, Sharapova was hampered by injuries, including a chronic shoulder problem that needed surgery last year, limiting her to just just one WTA tour win, taking home the Tianjin Open in China in 2017.
She retires ranked 373rd in the world.
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