Sharapova signs off on colorful career

She disclosed that she "had a procedure to numb my shoulder to get through the match" a half-hour before walking on court for a first-round exit at last year's US Open, writing: "I share this not to garner pity, but to paint my new reality: My body had become a distraction."

In a 2006 interview with Associated Press right before that year's US Open, Sharapova said: "I've been pretty good in the past, balancing my time with my sponsors with my tennis, because I know my priority. At the end of the day, what I love doing is competing, and that's where my heart is at: on center court.

"There are a couple of sides of me. There's the Maria that's a tennis player. There's the Maria that is a normal girl. And there's the Maria who's a businesswoman. And that's where the 'Maria Sharapova brand' comes into play."

Around that time, she signed a "lifetime" contract with a racket company, a deal that eventually was ended. And two weeks after that, she would win the US Open trophy while wearing an outfit that resembled a sparkly black cocktail dress, part of the "couple of sides" persona she cultivated.

Two years later, though, Sharapova missed the tournament because she needed surgery on her shoulder, which has troubled her off and on ever since; she had another operation on that joint in 2019.

She lost the last four matches she played at major tournaments, with first-round exits in her past three appearances, including at the Australian Open in January. That turned out to be the last match of her career and made her 0-2 this season.