Maria Sharapova is making a stunning return to sport – but it's not tennis – as the former world number one will be competing in pickleball.
The tennis legend retired from competition over three years ago after a stellar career that included five Grand Slam titles with her sole Wimbledon victory in 2004 at the age of 17 years old propelling her to worldwide fame. The Russian star became a celebrity thanks to her exploits on the court as by the end of her career, she earned $38million (£31million) through prize money, ranking her fourth all-time among female players.
The 36-year-old struggled with injuries near the end of her time in the sport and was also slapped with a 15-month ban for failing a drug test from the 2016 Australian Open. However, three years on from calling time on her sporting career, Sharapova is ready to return to competition but is doing it the burgeoning sport of pickleball.
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The popular sport has gained huge traction in the United States in recent years and is quite similar to tennis, but it takes place on smaller courts where players compete with plastic paddles and hit a hollowed plastic ball. The former tennis star announced her intention to join the second edition of the Pickleball Slam on her Instagram page, where she has over five million followers.
She'll be playing alongside fellow tennis great John McEnroe as the pair take on perhaps the sport's greatest super-couple in Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf in a doubles match in February 2024. In her announcement video, Sharapova revealed that her competitive juices are beginning to flow again as she said: "I'm playing pickleball and not just any pickleball.
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"I am playing with John McEnroe against Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi. Dare I say I'm getting a little competitive and slightly nervous and anxious."
Sharapova, who was once named the 'world's sexiest tennis player', is not the only big name joining the popular sport as prior to her announcement, Canadian star Eugenie Bouchard revealed she's also making the switch to pickleball and is expected to start competing next year.
The epic match next year will take place at the Hard Rock Hotel in Hollywood, Florida, and offers a whopping $1million (£816,000) prize for the winning team.
While the money may not exactly be a pressing issue for the players who've earned millions through their career, an opportunity to return to competition is surely enough for the tennis behemoths. Following Sharapova's announcement, her fans had questions on the sport with a dash of added humour as one Instagram user wrote: "Are you allowed to scream and grunt after every shot in Pickle Ball? Gosh I hope not because McEnroe will freak out."
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