Maria Sharapova, who retired Wednesday at age 32, was a star on and off the tennis court, reaching No. 1 in the rankings, winning five Grand Slam titles and making millions of dollars in endorsement deals.
Here is a look at some key moments:
1987
Born on April 19 in Nyagan, Russia. Started playing tennis at 4. When she was 6, participated in a tennis exhibition in Moscow, where she was noticed by 18-time major champion Martina Navratilova.
1996
Began training at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida at 9.
2003
Won her first WTA title at the Japan Open. Made her Grand Slam debut at the Australian Open, losing in the first round. She also lost in the first round of the French Open, before earning her first match win at a major at Wimbledon, where she reached the fourth round.
2004
Upset two-time defending champion Serena Williams 6-1, 6-4 in the Wimbledon final to win her first Grand Slam title at 17. Sharapova became the third-youngest winner at a tournament that began in the 1870s. Later that year, Sharapova beat Williams again to win the season-ending WTA championship. They would go on to meet each other 19 other times; Williams won all 19 of those matches.
2005
In August, rose to No. 1 in the WTA rankings, the first Russian to hold that spot. She would go on to spend a total of 21 weeks atop the rankings.
2006
Won the U.S. Open for her second major title, beating Justine Henin 6-4, 6-4 in the final.
2008
Won the Australian Open for the third Grand Slam trophy of her career, defeating Ana Ivanovic 7–5, 6–3 in the final. Missed that year’s U.S. Open because she needed surgery on her right shoulder, a recurring problem for the rest of her playing days.
2012
Won the French Open to complete a career Grand Slam, overwhelming Sara Errani 6-3, 6-2 in the final. Not bad for someone who once joked that her movement on the red clay used at Roland Garros made her look like “a cow on ice.” Sharapova became the 10th woman in the sport’s history with at least one title at each of the four most prestigious tournaments in tennis; she is one of six women to do it in the professional era. Later that season, won a silver medal at the London Olympics, losing to Williams in the final.
2014
Won the French Open again, edging Simona Halep 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-4 in the final; it would be Sharapova’s last Grand Slam title. She also became the first tennis player to pass 15 million followers on Facebook. She currently has more than 8 million followers on Twitter and nearly 4 million on Instagram.
2015
Runner-up to Williams at the Australian Open; it would be Sharapova’s 10th and last appearance in a major final.
2016
After she lost to Williams again at the Australian Open, this time in the quarterfinals, word emerged that Sharapova was being suspended for failing a doping test for meldonium, which had recently been banned. She appealed her original penalty of two years and wound up serving a 15-month suspension.
2017
Returned to the tour in April and, with her ranking too low to enter tournaments automatically, was denied a wild-card invitation for the French Open. Eventually returned to Grand Slam action at the U.S. Open, where she lost in the fourth round. In October, claimed her first title in two years by winning the Tianjin Open. It was the 36th singles title of her career - and the last.
2020
Loses her only two matches of the season, including in the first round of the Australian Open, 6-3, 6-4 against Donna Vekic. It is her fourth consecutive Grand Slam loss, the longest such streak of Sharapova’s career.
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