Maria Sharapova, unable to recover from a

recurring shoulder issue, is retiring from professional tennis after five Grand

Slam titles and time ranked number one in the world.

In an essay written for about her decision to walk away from the sport, published on Wednesday, Sharapova asks: “How do you leave behind the only life you’ve ever known?”Vanity Fair and Vogue

A once-perennial rival to Serena Williams,

Sharapova burst onto the tennis scene at 17 when she won Wimbledon in 2004.

The Russian, who moved to Florida as a

child, would go on to complete a career Grand Slam with two titles at the

French Open and one each at the US Open and Australian Open.

The only blemish on her career was serving a 15-month ban after she failed a doping test in 2016.

Since that suspension, Sharapova managed to

reach only one major quarterfinal.

In her essay, Sharapova said that after so

much success on the tennis court and off, so much time in the spotlight, she

walks away having lost four consecutive matches at Grand Slam tournaments.

She was asked after that defeat whether it

might have been her last appearance at Melbourne Park, where she won the trophy

in 2008, and she repeatedly replied with “I don’t know.”

But her right shoulder has been a problem

off-and-on for more than a decade.

“I put in all the right work. There is no

guarantee that even when you do all of those things, that you’re guaranteed

victory in a first round or in the third round or in the final. That’s the name

of this game,” Sharapova said after what turned out to be her final match.

“That’s why it’s so special to be a champion, even for one time.”