Maria Sharapova has decided to retire from professional tennis. The sport of tennis will miss her competitive spirit and also the passion she brought to all her matches.
She was 17 when she won her Wimbledon final against Serena Williams. Maria was fearless.
She never backed down from a challenge and announced herself to the tennis world after beating one of the all-time greats. She ended up winning the US Open, Australian Open and the French Open (twice). Her final count of tour singles titles is at 36.
Just like many athletes across the world, Maria faced big-time adversity. The International Tennis Federation banned her for two years (later reduced to 15 months) for testing positive for the banned drug meldonium in 2016. She defender her use by letting everyone know about magnesium deficiency. She took this drug to compensate for this and also due to her family history of diabetes. In her appeal, the Court of Arbitration for Sports did agree with Sharapova’s defense and claimed that there was “no significant fault” of hers.
Sharapova went through the ban and did enjoy a fairytale match of the ages. Under lights of the Arthur Ashe Stadium at the US Open in 2017, she stunned the world by beating World No. 2 Simona Halep over three sets.
Her reaction was of complete relief and gratitude. Maria said, “I definitely have to value the feeling that I have now. I think that’s important. I can’t take that for granted. I can’t take the level for granted. I can’t take my emotions for granted.”. After that win, injuries got the best of her and she made a disappointing exit in the Australian Open in 2020 by losing out in the first round.
She may still get mixed opinions from the tennis fan base, but all things aside, nobody can question can her level of hard work and commitment.
