Maria Sharapova Retires From Tennis

A farewell tour - with the chance to perform one final time in Paris, London and New York - would not have been the Maria Sharapova way.

No longer competitive, and with a shoulder not fit for purpose, she would have hated making up the numbers at a benefit gig.

And so the end came in a well crafted essay published in Vogue and Vanity Fair - which very much is the Sharapova way.

The Russian leaves as one of only 10 women to have won each of the sport's four Grand Slam titles, and as a former world number one who made a huge impact on both sport and the celebrity world.

- Read More: bbc.com