Maria Sharapova Is Saying Goodbye To Tennis & She’s Leaving With A Bang

All good things must come to an end and five-time Grand Slam winner Maria Sharapova is ending one prolific time in her life. Word on the street is that she’s leaving the sport among the top-paid tennis players of all time. 

Emotional Announcement

Sharapova and Williams at the 2004 Wimbledon games

The Russian athlete has recently announced that she would be retiring from tennis in an emotional essay published on Vogue’s and Vanity Fair’s website. The 32-year-old wrote about saying goodbye to the only life she’s ever known and the fans that supported her throughout her 28 years in the game.

Some of her career highlights include her career-making win against another tennis great Serena Williams when Sharapova was just 17 years old. Their Wimbledon face off in 2004 earned the Russian her first Grand Slam title and turned her into a household name in the sport.

She formally leaves tennis as the overall 8th highest-paid player ever and the third top-paid female professional tennis player. Sources peg her career winnings to be somewhere around $38.8 million.

Close Fight

The 39-year-old athlete has five Wimbledon and two US Open titles

While Sharapova is best remembered for her rivalry with the younger Williams, she was beat out by the elder Williams, Venus, for the list’s 7th spot.

It was a close fight though. Based on recent data from the Australian Open, ATP and WTA tours, Venus clocked in $41.8 million compared to Sharapova’s $38.8 million.

The former also edged over the latter based on the overall Grand Slam wins they have with Venus having two more under her belt. Venus continues her tenure in the tennis court.

Other notable players who made the list are American tennis star Pete Sampras and Scottish athlete Andy Murray, who took the sixth and fifth spots, respectively.

Tennis’ Top Earners

The Serbian tennis star has 17 Grand Slam titles under his belt

Rounding up the top ranks of the list are other familiar names. In fourth place is Sharapova’s former rival Williams with $92.7 million.

The American tennis superstar boasts of winning a whopping 23 Grand Slam titles and 73 overall titles throughout her career. She continues to make waves in the sport as she seeks her 24th Grand Slam as she raises a daughter.

Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal comfortably sits at third place with $120.6 million. In fact, he and his fellow top three placers all recorded winnings over the $100 million mark with Roger Federer boasting $129.9 million and top dog Novak Djokovic nabbing the number one spot with $143.1 million.