女子テニス元世界1位: マリア・シャラポワが引退
女子テニスの元世界ランキング1位で「妖精」と人気を集めたマリア・シャラポワが26日、米誌Vanity Fairで現役引退を表明した。エッセーで「Tennis—I’m saying goodbye. (テニスに私はさよならを言います)」とした。Maria Sharapova is leaving tennis. In an exclusive essay for Vanity Fair and Vogue, the tennis legend reflects on her career, looks to her future, and asks: How do you leave behind the only life you’ve ever known? https://t.co/q2UO5INjFI— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) February 26, 2020 4歳でテニスを始めたシャラポワは米国に渡った後にフロリダ州のアカデミーで腕を磨き、17歳だった2004年にウィンブルドン選手権初優勝。05年に初めて世界ランキング1位となった。四大大会通算で5度優勝。12年ロンドン五輪では銀メダルを獲得した。シャラポワは米国に渡った後に錦織圭も学んだアカデミーで腕を磨き、17歳だった2004年にウィンブルドン選手権初優勝。05年に初めて世界ランキング1位となった。12年の全仏オープンで四大大会全制覇を達成するなど四大大会で通算5勝を挙げたが近年はけがに苦しんでいた。現在の世界ランキングは373位。ツアー大会では通算36度優勝。生涯の獲得賞金は約43億円。Five-time major winner Sharapova retires aged 32 https://t.co/jeNvR1melo pic.twitter.com/JQU3VTdWyI— Reuters (@Reuters) February 26, 2020 How do you leave behind the only life you’ve ever known? How do you walk away from the courts you’ve trained on since you were a little girl, the game that you love—one which brought you untold tears and unspeakable joys—a sport where you found a family, along with fans who rallied behind you for more than 28 years?I’m new to this, so please forgive me. Tennis—I’m saying goodbye.Before we get to the end, though, let me start at the beginning. The first time I remember seeing a tennis court, my father was playing on it. I was four years old in Sochi, Russia—so small that my tiny legs were dangling off the bench I was sitting on. So small that the racket I picked up next to me was twice my size.When I was six, I traveled across the globe to Florida with my father. The whole world seemed gigantic back then. The airplane, the airport, the wide expanse of America: Everything was enormous—as was my parents’ sacrifice.When I first started playing, the girls on the other side of the net were always older, taller, and stronger; the tennis greats I watched on TV seemed untouchable and out of reach. But little by little, with every day of practice on the court, this almost mythical world became more and more real.The first courts I ever played on were uneven concrete with faded lines. Over time, they became muddy clay and the most gorgeous, manicured grass your feet could ever step upon. But never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d ever win on the sport’s biggest stages—and on every surface.Wimbledon seemed like a good place to start. I was a naive 17-year-old, still collecting stamps, and didn’t understand the magnitude of my victory until I was older—and I’m glad I didn’t.My edge, though, was never about feeling superior to other players. It was about feeling like I was on the verge of falling off a cliff—which is why I constantly returned to the court to figure out how to keep climbing.The U.S. Open showed me how to overcome distractions and expectations. If you couldn’t handle the commotion of New York—well, the airport was almost next-door. Dosvidanya.The Australian Open took me to a place that had never been a part of me before—to an extreme confidence that some people call being “in the zone.” I really can’t explain it—but it was a good place to be.The clay at the French Open exposed virtually all my weaknesses—for starters, my inability to slide on it—and forced me to overcome them. Twice. That felt good.