Djokovic pays homage to Sharapova, a great fighter

A great fighter and model and inspiration for all tennis players: Novak Djokovic paid homage to Maria Sharapova who yesterday announced his retirement from competitive activity. The number one in the world ranking said he was sorry for the Russian champion leaving the scene who, he observed, "deserves the applause of everyone. He has suffered various injuries, operations, but has always fought to return to play. He has a champion mentality, and I'm sorry that everything had to end because of injuries. At the same time, she can be proud of her fantastic career, "said Djokovic.

Maria 'Masha' Sharapova said enough. The Russian tennis player, born 32 years ago in the Siberian steppe, gave the announcement of her retirement from competitions as befits a sports star, her model physique and her passion for fashion and glamor: with a letter published by Vanity Fair and Vogue. Winner of five Grand Slam tournaments (the last Roland Garros in 2014), she entered history for being the first number one in the world ranking of Russian nationality (in 2005) and for winning Wimbledon at just 17 years of age. But also for the disqualification due to doping, after the positivity to the meldonium during the 2016 Australian Open, which cost her a two-year stop, then reduced from the Tas to 15 months. "How do you leave behind the only life you've ever known? How do you move away from the fields on which you have trained since you were a child - he asks himself - the game you love, which has brought you unspeakable tears and joys, sport in which you found a family, together with the fans who have followed you for over 28 years? ". For a long time the highest paid tennis player on the circuit, especially thanks to millionaire sponsors, according to Forbes from 2005 to 2011 one of the 100 most powerful celebrities on the planet, Sharapova discovered her way very soon. At six he met Martina Navratilova, who sensed her potential and advised her to move with her father to the United States, which she did in 1995, to attend the Nick Bollettieri Academy. "I crossed the world to get to Florida with my father - he remembers today - At the time everything seemed gigantic. The plane, the airport, the vast American expanse: everything was huge, as was the sacrifice of my parents" . In the beginning "the girls on the other side of the net were always older, taller and stronger". The victory at Wimbledon "seemed like a good starting point. I was a naive seventeen-year-old who collected stamps, and it took me some time to understand the extent of what I had done". And yet, the sacrifices ("an extra slice of pizza? Better not"), the doubts ("I will have done enough to face the next opponent"), the physical suffering ("over time my tendons have frayed like a rope"). Last August, at the US Open, the first sign that the time to leave the racket was near. That day for shoulder pain "already going on the pitch seemed like a victory". Tennis, concludes Sharapova - today slipped to No. 373 in the world - heading towards the future, "gave me a life. I will miss it every day". It was "also my mountain. My path dotted with valleys and detours, but the views from its top were incredible".