`I`m saying goodbye`: Maria Sharapova announces tennis retirement
(The Guardian Sports News)

Five-times grand slam winner calls time on career`How do you leave the only life you´ve ever known?´ Maria Sharapova has announced her retirement from tennis. The five-times grand slam champion and former world No 1 has struggled with chronic shoulder problems and has slumped to 373 in the rankings.In an emotional essay on vanityfair.com, Sharapova, 32, wrote: `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? Continue reading...