Sharapova is an aggressive baseliner with power, depth, and angles on her forehand and backhand but injuries have meant over the past couple of years she has continued to fall in the rankings. As a wildcard at this year’s Australian Open, Sharapova suffered a first round straight-sets defeat which marked her third consecutive first-round loss at a grand slam tournament and, following the tournament, her ranking fell to No 369, her lowest since August 2002, a factor which no doubt influenced her decision to say goodbye to tennis.

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