Is it time? Incredible Sharapova’s path to success, as well as her words about the end of the career

Probably, every second person who has never even been associated with professional sports knows who Maria Sharapova is. Having become famous for her many achievements, including victories at the Grand Slam tournaments, as well as one of the most “loud” matches, Maria can safely be called a legend of big tennis. She has not only built a remarkable sports career but also is still the goodwill ambassador of the United Nations Development Programme and the founder of a fund that supports many projects in areas affected by the Chernobyl accident. In this article, you can find out more about her biography, as well as learn from the tennis player words why she decided to end her career.

Born on April 19, 1987, in the city of Nyagan, Tyumen Region (Russia), young Maria Sharapova began to practice tennis at the age of four. In 1993, she played with the famous American tennis player Martina Navratilova during Martina’s demonstration lessons in Moscow. Then Navratilova advised Sharapova’s father to give his daughter to the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in the United States of America. Ultimately he did it. Thus, the first adult tournament of the International Tennis Federation for an athlete was the tournament in Sarasota in 2001.

In 2002, in Columbus, a fifteen-year-old tennis player won against a rival who was among the three hundred best rackets in the world. Having achieved several significant successes during the games at the tennis championships of various levels, on July 3, 2004, Sharapova won at Wimbledon, the first among Russian athletes. Two years later, Maria won the US Open with brilliance, and in 2007 became the semifinalist of the French Roland Garros. In 2008, the girl won the Australian Open.

Honoured Master of Sports, five-time winner of Grand Slam singles tournaments, the only one among Russians, both women and men, who played eight times in the finals of Grand Slam tournaments in singles, ex-first world singles racket Maria Sharapova is the winner of 28 WTA singles tournaments and three WTA doubles tournaments, winner of the 2008 Federation Cup as part of the Russian national team and the finalist of 2015, as well as the silver medalist of the 2012 Olympic Games.

In addition to her sports career, the girl is engaged in social activities: she is a goodwill ambassador of the United Nations Development Programme and the founder of a fund that supports some projects in the areas affected by the Chernobyl accident in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine, and also finances a scholarship program for students from such regions of Belarus.

However, on September 9 last year, Maria Sharapova left the top 100 of the WTA rating.

At an exhibition tournament in Australian Melbourne on January 14, 2020, Maria Sharapova played with Laura Siegemund from Germany. The first set was left for the German at the tie-break – 7:6 (7:4). The athletes spent 2 hours and 38 minutes on the court. In the second set with score 5:5, the match was stopped due to the high concentration of smoke from the monstrous forest fires raging on the continent.

In the Australian Open first round on January 21, 2020, Maria Sharapova lost to the 19th racket of the tournament from Croatia Donna Vekic with a score of 3:6. 4:6. The fight lasted one hour 22 minutes. The Russian woman made four aces while making five double faults. On account of Vekic at the same time, three aces, four double faults and four realized breakpoints. In the second set, Maria led the 4:1, but the Croatian managed to take five games in a row and brought the match to victory.

February 26, 2020, Russian tennis player completed her sports career. The 32-year-old athlete wrote about her decision in a column in Vanity Fair magazine. Also, in her small interview, the five-time Grand Slam champion told in more detail why she made such a decision earlier this year.

“It’s important to understand how you feel. What’s wrong with your body and mind. You can be very influential. Loved ones can push you to make the right decision. But in the end, you must decide everything yourself – it’s important to feel comfortable, whatever this decision is,”

said Sharapova.

Maria also admitted that recently she didn’t feel the competition and almost lost contact with tournaments. Also, she couldn’t calmly relate to defeats, and health didn’t allow to fight at the maximum. As a result, the Russian woman realized there are a lot of other valuable things, and you can finally devote yourself to something else.

Actually, it’s the right decision. Having gone such a vast and challenging way, having done that, by the way, brilliantly, Sharapova really can now devote time to herself, as well as other exciting things. A tennis player will forever remain a legend of big tennis for us all, an example from which each of the beginners will take. We have to thank Maria for her magnificent tennis, as well as wish the athlete inspiration and great success in all further endeavours.