Sharapova announces retirement – in Vanity Fair and Vogue

It is a tennis retirement notice unlike any other we’re likely to see.

Maria Sharapova, who won Wimbledon at 17 but for whom the last few years of a Hall of Fame career were a struggle to get back on track after a doping suspension and stay healthy, has announced she is ending her career.

The 32-year-old Russian has done this in an essay published online, simultaneously, in both Vanity Fair and Vogue.

“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?” she asks.

“I’m new to this, so please forgive me. Tennis – I’m saying goodbye.”

Here’s the link to the Vanity Fair page.

And here’s the one in Vogue.

Simultaneously, the New York Times web-published a feature story subsequent to a conversation between Sharapova and journalist Christopher Clarey the previous day.

The quotes from other notables in the story had already been gathered. So it was all a well-orchestrated rollout. Which is right on brand.

Still unpacking the complicated legacy of one of the most famous and well-compensated women in sports history. We’ll have an essay of our own on it when the unpacking is done.