05 March 2020

Maria Sharapova serves up stunning beach shots as she celebrates her first week of retirement from tennis

A week on from shocking the tennis world by announcing her retirement from the sport, Maria Sharapova served up an ace with her latest photoshoot.

The five-time Grand Slam champion put down her tennis racket via an essay for Vanity Fair magazine revealing she was 'saying goodbye' to tennis.

The Russian shows off her enviable athletic physique

A recurring shoulder injury meant the 32-year-old had dropped to 373rd in the WTA rankings and a struggle with her form in recent years convinced her it was the right time to walk away from the sport.

Since then she has enjoyed a whirlwind of a week including press conferences, public appearances and 'crying over a Vogue video'.

A crazy few days for the Russian (Instagram: @mariasharapova)

She admitted that the morning after her announcement was spent reading through her messages and spoiling herself with cookies, adding: "Wednesday morning I sat on the couch and with every message and call I received...I ate a cookie and shed lots of tears.

Sharapova said there had been a few tears since her annoouncement (Instagram: @mariasharapova)

"At least retirement is gluten FULL," she added. "And thank you friends for sending me gluten over flowers. You know me well."

The Russian tennis player documented her week on Instagram (Instagram: @mariasharapova)

Sharapova is also an entrepreneur having started her own sweet brand "Sugarpova", but could easily forge her path in modelling if her latest shots are anything to go by.

To round off the week, she attended an event in San Diego (Instagram: @mariasharapova)

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