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Our longtime Haute Ambassador and five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova has just announced her retirement from professional tennis earlier this morning. The tennis star told Vanity Fair in an exclusive essay that she is “saying goodbye” to the sport after a 28-year career.
The athlete began her training of the sport from when she was a mere 6 years old, moving from Russia to the U.S. more intensive training. Throughout her career, she held the prestigious No. 1 ranking on five separate times since 2005. She won five Grand Slam titles: two at the French Open and one at Australian Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.
While she’s known for her success on the court, she’s equally as admirable off the court, serving as a businesswoman, model and philanthropist, to name a few. As a Haute Living Ambassador, she has contributed many stories about her personal candy line, aptly called Sugarpova, created with Jeff Rubin—founder and international retailed of IT’SUGAR. She’s also extraordinarily active in the world of philanthropy, heading up her personal charity, the Maria Sharapova Charity, which helps young, underprivileged children achieve their dreams. A portion of Sugarpova proceeds is donated to the foundation.
Photo Credit: John Russo Photography
She published her first autobiography, Unstoppable: My Life So Far in 2017. And she’s had endorsements from globally-coveted brands including Nike—which she had her own line, “Nike Maria Sharapova Collection”; Cole Haan, Porsche, Tiffany & Co., amongst others. She’s graced magazine covers, including Haute Living, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, Vanity Fair, Shape, Women’s Health, Esquire, Cosmopolitan and many more.
Sharapova has not yet given many hints as to what comes next after her accomplished tennis career, she did share a few words about the future in her exclusive essay with Vanity Fair.
“Looking back now, I realize that tennis has been my mountain. My path has been filled with valleys and detours, but the views from its peak were incredible. After 28 years and five Grand Slam titles, though, I’m ready to scale another mountain—to compete on a different type of terrain,” she wrote.
Photo Credit: Maria Sharapova
She continued, “In the meantime, there are a few simple things I’m really looking forward to: A sense of stillness with my family. Lingering over a morning cup of coffee. Unexpected weekend getaways. Workouts of my choice (hello, dance class!).
Tennis showed me the world—and it showed me what I was made of. It’s how I tested myself and how I measured my growth. And so in whatever I might choose for my next chapter, my next mountain, I’ll still be pushing. I’ll still be climbing. I’ll still be growing.”
We’re not sure what the next step will be for the female powerhouse, but whatever it is, we’re sure it’ll be special. We’ll stay tuned.
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