Maria Sharapova retires from tennis

Maria Sharapova has announced her retirement from tennis at the age of 32 after winning five Grand Slam titles during her career.

She has announced she will be quitting her beloved sport in an emotional essay in Vanity Fair on Wednesday, Daily Mail reports.

She claimed her 'body has become a distraction' due to mounting injury problems at the end of her career.

The 32-year-old Russian 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."

During her career, Sharapova won Wimbledon, the Australian Open and the US Open once, while clinching the French Open twice.