“Tennis一I'm saying goodbye." With these words, Russian tennis superstar Maria Sharapova, 32, has announced her retirement.
“How do you leave behind the only life you've ever known?" she asked herself. Several reasons played a role in Sharapova leaving the tennis court for good.
Over the last couple of years, she's dealt with an injury in her right shoulder and inflammation (炎症) in her forearms that may have prevented her from returning to top form. In more recent news, the death of her longtime friend, US basketball legend Kobe Bryant, also played a factor in her decision to retire.
“As I think you've seen throughout my career, my perseverance has been my greatest tool, my greatest strength," Sharapova said in an interview.“But I've started feeling like it was becoming a weakness, because the stubbornness that was keeping me going was keeping me going for wrong reasons."
Sharapova rose to fame at age 17 when she won Wimbledon in 2004. She won a total of four Grand Slam singles titles; the 2006 US Open, the 2008 Australian Open, and the 2012 and 2014 French Open. She also earned the Fed Cup title in Russia in 2008 and an Olympic silver medal in singles in 2012, among many other accomplishments. For 16 straight years from 2004, Sharapova was the world's highest-earning female athlete, according to Forbes. Off the court, she made millions of dollars from companies such as Evian and Nike, as well as starting her own candy company.
"Tennis showed me the world - - and it showed me what I was made of," Sharapova wrote on Facebook on Feb 26, alongside a photo of herself as a young girl with a tennis racquet, “It's how I tested myself and how I measured my growth. And so in whatever I might choose for my next chapter, my next mountain, I’ll still be pushing. I'll still be climbing. I'll still be growing.”
5. What contributed to Sharapova' s retirement?
A.Her stubbornness. | B.Her friend's suggestions. | C.Her injuries. | D.Her growing age. |
6. What does the underlined word “stubbornness?" in paragraph 4 mean?
A.Tool. | B.Perseverance. | C.Strength. | D.Reason. |
7. What does Paragraph 5 mainly tell us?
A.Sharapova is the highest-earning female. | B.Sharapova donated a lot to Evian and Nike. |
C.Sharapova's companies run successfully. | D.Sharapova is a woman of many achievements. |
8. What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A.Playing tennis taught Sharapova how to advance in life. |
B.Sharapova will continue pushing herself as a tennis player: |
C.Climbing mountains is Sharapova's new interest. |
D.A picture posted online showed Sharapova's growth. |