Maria Sharapova, one of the most successful and well-known players in the world of tennis, announced her retirement from professional tennis in February 2020. She had a successful career, winning five Grand Slam titles and a silver medal at the 2012 Olympic Games. In this article, we will explore the reasons why Sharapova decided to retire from tennis at the age of 32.
Sharapova’s Career Highlights
Maria Sharapova is one of the most accomplished female tennis players of all time. She won five Grand Slam titles in her career, including the 2004 Wimbledon title, the 2006 U.S. Open title, the 2008 Australian Open title, the 2012 French Open title and the 2014 French Open title. She also won a silver medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Sharapova was the world number one player in singles on five separate occasions and was ranked in the top 10 for a total of 14 years.
Sharapova’s Struggles with Injury
Throughout her career, Sharapova has had to battle with multiple injuries. She missed the entire 2016 season due to a shoulder injury and had several other injury problems throughout her career. In her final season on the tour, she was forced to miss several tournaments due to a lingering forearm injury.
Sharapova’s Struggles with Performance
In addition to her struggles with injury, Sharapova also had to battle with declining performance. She was unable to reach the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam tournament since 2015, and she had been unable to reach the final of a tournament since 2017. She had also failed to win a WTA singles title since 2017.
Sharapova’s Off-court Issues
In 2016, Sharapova was suspended for 15 months after testing positive for meldonium at the 2016 Australian Open. This suspension caused her ranking to drop and made it difficult for her to regain her form after her return from the suspension. She was also involved in a legal dispute with the International Tennis Federation (ITF), which had a negative impact on her reputation as a professional athlete.
Sharapova’s Desire to Pursue Other Interests
In addition to her struggles with injury and performance, Sharapova also stated that she wanted to focus on other interests outside of tennis. She had been involved in multiple business ventures, such as her candy company “Sugarpova”, and had also served as a Global Ambassador for the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA).
Sharapova’s Financial Security
Sharapova had been one of the highest-paid female athletes in the world for a number of years. She had earned more than $36 million in prize money alone, and had also earned millions in endorsements and other business ventures. She had also invested her earnings wisely, which allowed her to retire from professional tennis with financial security.
The Impact of the Pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic had a major impact on the tennis world, and caused the cancellation of a number of tournaments. Sharapova had already been struggling with injury and performance issues before the pandemic, and the pandemic made it difficult for her to compete at the highest level.
The Final Decision
After considering all of the factors, Sharapova decided to retire from professional tennis. She stated that it was a difficult decision, but that she was ready to move on to the next chapter of her life.
Conclusion
Maria Sharapova was one of the most successful and well-known players in the world of tennis. She had a successful career, winning five Grand Slam titles and a silver medal at the 2012 Olympic Games. Despite her success, she was forced to retire from professional tennis due to a combination of injury, performance and off-court issues. She also wanted to pursue other interests and had achieved financial security, which allowed her to make the decision to retire from the sport.