The 32-year-old tennis player made a life-altering announcement that she's retiring from tennis. "Tennis showed me the world and it showed me what I was made of," she captioned a photo of herself as a young girl with a racquet in hand. "Its 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. Tennis – I'm saying goodbye." In an essay published for Vogue, the five-time Grand Slam winner reflected on the sport that has shaped her life thus far, recalling memories involving the sport from the time she was four years old. Sharapova wrote, "These courts revealed my true essence. Behind the photo shoots and the pretty tennis dresses, they exposed my imperfections – every wrinkle, every drop of sweat. They tested my character, my will, my ability to channel my raw emotions into a place where they worked for me instead of against me." However, the star acknowledged the sport had begun to take its toll on her physically. While Sharapova wrote that she'll miss tennis "every day," she's also ready to "compete on a different type of terrain" with that same "relentless chase for victories.