KATHMANDU: Maria Sharapova, the five-time Grand Slam champion and former number 1-ranked women’s tennis player in the world, has called it quits.

The 32-year-old made the announcement not at a press conference, but in an essay she wrote for Vanity Fair and Vogue.

Her choice of venue shouldn’t exactly come as a surprise. Off the court, Sharapova has built a successful career in business and modeling.

In walking away from her 19-year professional career, she spoke directly to the game she loves, saying, “Tennis — I’m saying goodbye.”

She also tweeted a picture of her as a young girl posing with a racquet along with the message: “Tennis showed me the world — and it showed me what I was made of.”

(With inputs from Agencies)