Former world’s number-one tennis star Maria Sharapova had lots of ups and downs in her professional tennis career. After winning five Grand Slam titles, the Russian tennis star announced her retirement in 2020 at the age of thirty-two. Recently, while talking about her retirement in a podcast, she opened up about her realization of not being able to ‘turn back time’.

Sharapova’s professional tennis career was nothing less than a cinema. This tennis legend faced a suspension of fifteen months as a banned drug called meldonium was found her in blood. Nevertheless, Sharapova continued to inspire the future generation of tennis with her brilliance in the sport.

Russian tennis legend Maria Sharapova reveals how her body issues led her to choose retirement

In a recent podcast with Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly, this former WTA star spoke about her bodily challenges. Sharapova said- “It (talking about her body) was challenged for several years. And ultimately I let a little bit of stubbornness get in the way of those last few years. I tried so hard to get my body back. But you can’t turn back time, right? Like when something’s damaged and something’s broken.” 

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Talking about the phase of acceptance, Sharapova added, “You have to like, admit it and move on and stubbornness that once propelled me to greatness, eventually, I think was getting in the way of better things.” Maria Sharapova dealt with issues in her right shoulder for years and it also caused her to lose in four major tennis tournaments back then.

In 2020, Sharapova played just two matches and lost in both of them due to her physical discomfort in the shoulder. Her shoulder injury also rapidly lowered her WTA ranking.  This was the moment when she chose to retire from professional tennis, bidding adieu to her fans.

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This decision wasn’t really easy for her. Maria Sharapova’s last statement on the day she retired expressed her deepest sadness about leaving the sport she adored passionately.

Maria Sharapova’s retirement message expressed her grief

On the day of her retirement, Sharapova’s message felt like a depressing cold wave to her fans. Sharapova said, “How do you leave behind the only life you’ve ever known? How do you walk away from the courts you’ve trained on since you were a little girl, the game that you love—one which brought you untold tears and unspeakable joys – a sport where you found a family, along with fans who rallied behind you for more than 28 years? I’m new to this, so please forgive me. Tennis—I’m saying goodbye,”

Sharapova’s recent discussion on her health and retirement represented that it wasn’t an easy decision for the Russian former tennis maestro. However, looking at her physical health, Sharapova bravely decided to move forward with new tournaments and live her life reliving her golden moments in professional tennis.

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