Maria Sharapova (Photo : Twitter)
Maria Sharapova has called for a press conference which the reasons for which are still unknown.
When something it left in the dark, it is open for speculation. For someone like Maria Sharapova, the only "major" announcement at this time would be her retirement, as speculated by The Independent.
"Maria Sharapova will make a 'major announcement' on Monday night after calling a surprise press conference, with suggestions that the Russian tennis star could announce a break from the sport to recover from injury or even retirement," the Independent reported.
The Russian tennis sweetheart is currently ranked 7th in the world by the WTA. Her last match was a loss against Serena Williams in the 4th round of the Australian Open last January.
Since then, she has suffered from a forearm injury and that caused her to withdraw from the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells in California.
Her agent, Max Eisenbud, has refused to mention the reason for the press conference.
However, there are some clues that might point to retirement, or at least a hiatus, even if Eisenbud stated the contrary. His statements implied that his client was fatigued. From Vavel, Eisenbud's comments on the Fed Cup wherein Sharapova represented her country in the Doubles event.
"In order to play, she needs to be healthy. For this to happen, she will need to listen to the voice of her body, to the advice of doctors... But if her health is not good, it is unlikely that she will remain on the tour," he stated.
While it was mentioned in the article that he is not hinting Sharapova's career may be cut short, the further injuries may have forced their hand.
While the Russian star is only turning 29 years old next month, she has been on the world tennis radar since 2004. Her rivalry with Serena Williams was ignited when she defeated the American tennis phenomenon in the Wimbledon women's singles title at the age of 17.
Since then, Serena has become the superior tennis player but Sharapova has been the highest paid female athlete for most of her career. She has enjoyed numerous endorsement deals and eventually, she has started her own business ventures.
A retirement announcement would be a shame as the Russian is already slated to carry the flag in the Rio Olympics later in the year.
