Sharapova retired in 2020 as a five-time Grand Slam champion.
Five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova has revealed that her injury struggles during the 2008 campaign were enhanced by a freak misdiagnosis. The Russian legend, who famously completed a Career Grand Slam before retiring in 2020, won the Australian Open in ‘08 before things went downhill for her. In a recent interview with Andy Roddick, Sharapova broke down the nature of her shoulder injury.
Having turned pro in 2001, Sharapova became a teenage sensation on the women’s circuit. The former World No. 1 announced herself on the big stage upon winning the Wimbledon Championships at the age of 17. A year later, the fiery baseliner from Nyagan reached the top of the rankings. During her time as a player, Sharapova won five majors, 36 singles trophies, three doubles championships and an Olympic silver medal. She also attained Fed Cup glory with Team Russia in 2008.
Maria Sharapova Reveals Shoulder Injury Mishap in 2008
In 2008, Sharapova started the year with the biggest possible bang. Despite her style of play causing constant battles with her own body, the Russian managed to become one of the most feared women’s singles superstars. She overcame a horrific draw that involved a Round-2 duel vs Lindsay Davenport and QF against World No. 1 Justine Henin en route to the Australian Open title. By mid-May, Henin’s retirement meant that Sharapova was back as the No. 1 ranked player in the world.
After poor outings at the French Open and Wimbledon, MRI scans showed that Sharapova had a rotator cuff tear on her right shoulder. She was forced to undergo surgery, meaning that her season had to be cut short. The now 38-year-old appeared on the ‘Served By Andy Roddick’ podcast, where she delved deeper into the complications during the time.
“I was misdiagnosed with my shoulder injury for quite some time,” revealed Sharapova. “I think the timeframe of the misdiagnosis – I was telling every doctor on Earth that there’s something wrong with my shoulder. No one could quite point it out, it was like ‘you have tendinitis or overuse or very flexible shoulders and joints.’ It wasn’t until several months of beating myself up mentally that I knew there’s a problem.”
The former World No. 1 went on to reveal that after multiple tests, it was finally found that there was a flap in her tendon which was getting caught. Do you think Maria Sharapova would have won more Grand Slams if not for injuries? I guess we will never know.