Maria Sharapova retirement: Looking back at Sharapova's 5 Grand Slam winsÂ
Maria Sharapova called it a day on her professional tennis career last evening with a heartfelt essay for Vanity Fair.
Sharapova had fallen to No. 373 in the WTA rankings post her first round defeat at the 2020 Australian Open. But given how well she had performed in the first half of her career, that was not a true reflection of her abilities.
The Russian star had clinched the silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics, and she even held the World No. 1 ranking for 21 weeks. Sharapova is also the only Russian player to have completed the Career Grand Slam.
She won five Majors in her career, and here's a look at each of her Grand Slam title wins:
Wimbledon - 2004
Sharapova captured the attention of the tennis universe by winning Wimbledon in the year 2004.
Aged 17 and seeded No. 13, Sharapova didn't drop a single set in the first four rounds. She faced the 11th seeded Ai Sugiyama from Japan in the quarterfinals. The upcoming star dispatched her higher ranked opponent 5-7, 7-5, 6-1 to set up a semifinal battle with fifth seed Lindsay Davenport.
Just like the quarterfinals Sharapova dropped the first set, but again came back to win the match in three.
She locked horns with the top seed Serena Williams in the grand finale. In what was the start of a long-running rivalry, Sharapova thrashed the American 6-1, 6-4 to lift her maiden Grand Slam trophy.