That tournament at Wimbledon seems distant when, at just 17 years old, he surprised the tennis world and established himself in All England. But time passed and today, 15 years later, Maria Sharapova is already a former player. After winning 36 titles on the WTA professional circuit, including five Grand Slam, the Russian athlete made her retirement official last February.
Tired of having to go through different injuries that slowed down the winning rhythm of her career – she finished with 645 victories -, Sharapova chose to say goodbye to the sport that was a lifestyle for her, and through which she went through the biggest scandal: In March 2016, she tested positive for meldonium in a doping control at the Australian Open that same season, for which she received a sanction that kept her 15 months off the court.
Currently, the former tennis player resides in the United States. Due to the advance of the coronavirus pandemic in the North American country, the Russian chose to isolate herself in one of her homes. But, beyond confinement and to maintain close contact with his followers, Sharapova made an announcement on her Twitter account that surprised everyone: she published a phone number for people to write to her.
“I’ve tried to find a way to get in touch with everyone, because last week I had a great time doing a Q&A video conference with 150 of you. I left that video chat wanting to do it again. I want to be more connected. And a great Part of that is because we are all living this separation together, this physical distancing, ”Sharapova said at the beginning of the video.
“So I want you to write me what you think and this is my idea: I want you to write me a message with what you think because I have a number that I will leave on the screen where you can send a message”added the former athlete born in Siberia, Russia.
What is the contact Sharapova left in the post for his followers? For those who want to write to the five-time Grand Slam tournament champion – she won at Wimbledon 2004, US Open 2006, Australia 2008 and Roland Garros 2012 and 2014 – they should mark the + 310-564-7981, a number prefixed with the state of California, one of the two places where the former tennis player resides in the United States – the other is New York City.
“That message will go straight to my phone. So write me and wait for the answer. Please do it! ”were the last words Maria used in her video to say goodbye.
Last February 26 was the day chosen by Sharapova to say goodbye to the sport that catapulted her to stardom. “How to say goodbye to a sport where you found a family, some fans who were by your side for 28 years? I’m new to this so please forgive me. Tennis, I’m saying goodbye to you ”, he wrote in a fragment of the letter that he published in two current magazines as Vanity Fair Y Vogue.
A short time later, it seems that María found a way to stay close to those people who followed her throughout her career and that today are having a bad time as a result of the growth of cases of COVID-19 in the United States and much of the world.
