Maria Sharapova announces her retirement

Donell Woodson/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — After 28 years on the court, Maria Sharapova is retiring. “Tennis — I’m saying goodbye,” the 32-year-old Russian born player announced Wednesday in an essay for Vanity Fair. Sharapova is leaving the game with five Grand Slams under her belt. She won Wimbledon in 2004, the US Open in 2006, the Australian Open in 2008 and the French Open in 2012 and 2014. Her professional career began in 2001 when she was just 14 years old. “In giving my life to tennis, tennis gave me a life. I’ll miss it everyday,” Sharapova says in the essay. “I’ll