Five grand slam titles was a decent haul for a player renowned for fighting spirit on the court and
Hollywood glamour off it
Fittingly, Maria Sharapova said goodbye to tennis on Wednesday in the pages of not one but two
fashion magazines, a self-penned “essay” that allowed no scrutiny but invited a mixture of awe and sympathy.
The 32-year-old
Russian, who won five grand slams and could freeze a room with her aloof grandeur, will be remembered as the ice queen of the sport, respected more than loved inside the game. She nonetheless was a media darling from the moment she beat
Serena Williams to win
Wimbledon when only 17 until the fading days of her career when meaningful victories for the world No 373 were distant memories.