Maria Sharapova announced her retirement from tennis this week at the age of 32. Since arriving in America with her father in 1994 with less than $1,000 (and speaking no English), Sharapova has won five Grand Slam titles en route to becoming one of the most iconic figures in the world of sports. Below, we remember the moments that defined her career. 

2004: Upsets Serena Williams to win Wimbledon

Seeded 13th and only 17-years-old, Sharapova pulled off one of the greatest upsets in tennis history when she knocked off Serena Williams to win Wimbledon in 2004. Serena was both the defending champion and the tournament’s top seed. The win kicked off “Maria Mania,” as a sharp increase in media attention made Sharapova an overnight celebrity.

2005: World No. 1

Sharapova became the first Russian woman to hold the world No. 1 ranking on August 22nd, 2005, and though her reign lasted only a week, she was able to reclaim the top spot in September of that year. The 2005 season was also notable for the fact that Sharapova lost to the eventual champion in every Grand Slam that she played in, further solidifying her status as an apparent up-and-coming superstar.

2006: US Open champion

After establishing herself as one of the world’s best players in the years since her Wimbledon victory, Sharapova returned to the top of the mountain by defeating top-seed Amélie Mauresmo to win the US Open.

2008: Australian Open champion and lingering shoulder issues 

Sharapova won the 2008 Australian Open without dropping a set all tournament. However, an MRI scan later in the year revealed that Sharapova had been suffering from a torn rotator cuff since April. After a failed attempt to rehabilitate the shoulder, Sharapova had surgery, beginning what would become an ongoing cycle of treatment and injury. Even in a retirement interview with The New York Times, Sharapova said her shoulder hasn’t been fully healthy since before her 2008 surgery.

2012: Career Grand Slam

After multiple years of struggling to return to form, Sharapova had a personal renaissance in 2012. First, she won the French Open, completing a Career Grand Slam and regaining the No. 1 ranking in the world. Then, she became the first female to ever bear the Russian national flag at the 2012 Olympics, where she won a silver medal after losing to Serena Williams in the final.

2013: Off-court feud with Serena 

After Sharapova upset Serena in 2004, many believed the next great tennis rivalry had been born. However, after topping Serena once more in 2004, Sharapova never beat her again, and with her retirement, the all-time record officially stands 20-2 in Serena’s favor. Instead of an athletic rivalry, we were given a personal feud, which officially broke into the public in 2013. Serena opened the exchange by taking an apparent shot at Sharapova’s boyfriend at the time (rumored to be one of Serena’s exes), claiming he had a “black heart.” Sharapova responded by pretending to be above it all before hinting that Serena might be dating her own coach.

2016: Doping charges and sharp decline 

Sharapova released a letter in March of 2016 saying that she had failed a drug test at that year’s Australian Open. In her letter, Sharapova admitted to testing positive for meldonium, which had been added to the WADA’s banned substance list on January 1st, 2016 (and which was illegal in the US, though not in Russia). Sharapova, who had reportedly been taking the drug for 10 years to treat a magnesium deficiency, an irregular EKG, and a family history of diabetes, claimed to have overlooked the multiple warnings she was given in the lead-up to the ban.

The charges kept Sharapova off the court for 15 months and seriously tarnished her reputation among competitors, as following her reinstatement, she was given multiple wild-card invitations to major tournaments despite only just coming off a major suspension. Her subsequent decline in performance also forced fans to reconsider her on-court accomplishments. While age and chronic injuries certainly played a factor, given how long Sharapova had successfully competed with a bad shoulder, it was hard not to notice how quickly her game deteriorated post suspension.

2020: Announces retirement

By announcing her retirement in February, Sharapova guaranteed there’d be no farewell tour for one of the most famous names in the world of sports. Now we can start debating where she ranks all-time. For many, Sharapova is only on the fringes, given her pitiful record against Serena and her great-but-not-amazing final total of five Grand Slams.

The major discrepancies between Sharapova’s on-court accomplishments and off-court celebrity have been a source of controversy for over a decade. She was the highest-paid female athlete in the world for 11 years straight, which is a testament to not only her personal hustle and brand management, but also her famously marketable appearance. It’s hard to fault Sharapova for maximizing her earnings potential (and bringing attention to her sport while doing so). And yet, it’s also clear that she was able to monetize her image in ways her competitors could not, even as she was continually out-performed on the court.

Summarizing Sharapova’s career in a neat, final judgment is neither possible nor interesting. Whether or not her trophy case ever warranted her endorsement profile, the fact is she won our attention again and again. And in the world of sports, there may be no greater victory.

The 2025 Wimbledon Championships wrapped its second round on Thursday, with the grass court Grand Slam seeing just 15 of the tournament's 32 seeded players advance to the Friday and Saturday's third round.

A full half of the WTA's Top 10 players did not survive the week, with 2024 Wimbledon finalist and world No. 5 Jasmine Paolini joining four first-round star exits by falling to unseeded Kamilla Rakhimova in a three-set, second-round battle on Wednesday.

At the same time, unseeded fan favorites like Japan's No. 53 Naomi Osaka and England's own No. 40 Emma Raducanu secured third-round spots at the London Slam, joining top surviving contenders like No. 4 Iga Świątek and defending Wimbledon champion No. 16 Barbora Krejčíková.

Notably, a full five US players managed to move ahead, tied for the largest national contingent still standing at the tournament.

Led by 2025 Australian Open champion No. 8 Madison Keys, the US group also includes No. 10 Emma Navarro and No. 12 Amanda Anisimova, as well as unseeded players No. 54 Danielle Collins and No. 55 Hailey Baptiste.

With matches against Świątek and No. 7 Mirra Andreeva, respectively, Collins and Baptiste have a tough third round ahead — though Navarro's battle against the 2024 champ Krejčíková arguably headlines Saturday's slate.

How to watch Wimbledon this weekend

While world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is still holding strong in the dwindling field, this year's Wimbledon play is proving that the London Slam is anyone's to take, as the grass court humbles even the sport's top stars.

Expect the twists and turns to continue as tennis's best battle for spots in Sunday's Round of 16.

Round-of-32 Wimbledon play kicks off at 6 AM ET on Friday, with live continuous coverage of the tournament airing on ESPN.

The 2025 European Championship is officially underway, as Euro action kicked off with a group-stage upset on Wednesday.

Though the 2025 UEFA tournament's opener was a sweltering affair amid a European heat wave, world No. 26 Finland prevailed, earning a 1-0 upset win over No. 14 Iceland in Group A.

Finnish winger Katariina Kosola played hero, curling in the winning goal in the match's 70th minute — just 12 minutes after Iceland midfielder Hildur Antonsdóttir picked up the competition's first red card.

"The result is important for our confidence," Kosola said after Finland's first major tournament win since the 2009 Euro. "It was the kind of goal I have been practicing a lot."

"It's terrible to lose and we feel frustrated," said Iceland head coach Thorsteinn Halldórsson. "It is an even group and we knew Finland were good, but our first half wasn't good enough."

Elsewhere, No. 16 Norway closed out Wednesday's slate on top of Group A, taking three points by defeating host No. 23 Switzerland in day's second match.

Led by captain and 2018 Ballon d'Or winner Ada Hegerberg — who pulled the match even with a second-half strike — Norway battled to a 2-1 comeback win, despite the Swiss side outshooting and out-possessing the Norwegians.

How to watch this week's 2025 Euro action

Group B steals the 2025 Euro spotlight on Thursday.

While No. 13 Italy snagged a 1-0 opening win over No. 20 Belgium to kick off the day, 2023 World Cup champions and tournament favorite No. 2 Spain will face No. 22 Portugal at 3 PM ET.

Friday's Group C slate will pit No. 12 Denmark against No. 6 Sweden at 12 PM ET, before No. 3 Germany contends with No. 27 Poland at 3 PM ET.

Closing out the first group-stage matches will be arguably the toughest draw of the 2025 Euro pool.

Saturday's Group D slate features major tournament debutants No. 30 Wales against the No. 11 Netherlands at 12 PM ET, with No. 10 France taking on defending champions No. 5 England to cap the day at 3 PM ET.

Live coverage of 2025 Euro matches will air across Fox Sports platforms.

The world No. 1 USWNT ruled the pitch on Wednesday night, shutting out North American rivals No. 8 Canada 3-0 to finish the international window on a high note.

Catching the Canada backline sleeping, US midfielder Sam Coffey opened the scoring at the 17-minute mark before 19-year-old Claire Hutton claimed her first-ever USWNT goal by heading in a Rose Lavelle corner kick in the game's 36th minute.

Houston Dash forward Yazmeen Ryan then padded the US tally in the waning minutes of the match, finding the back of the net just eight minutes after subbing onto the field.

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Despite fielding a young roster, the US overpowered a veteran-heavy Canada side in almost every category, topping their Northern neighbors in shots, shots on target, possession, and — most notably — set pieces.

Canada ultimately couldn't match the game's mental pace or physical battle, as the USWNT scored all three goals off dead ball situations — a free kick, a corner kick, and a throw-in.

"It's not about the opponent," US head coach Emma Hayes said after the match. "It's about what we do, and I felt that was extremely dominant."

With Wednesday's contributions, the USWNT finishes the summer window with 11 goals scored across the three friendlies — and zero goals conceded.

The US now enters an extended break before reconvening for another as-yet-unannounced friendly series in October — but players will be expected to perform in the meantime.

"I said to the players in the end in the huddle, if you want to compete to win the biggest things, it's not what you do here that matters," said Hayes. "It's what you do when you go back to your club."

The 2025 WNBA regular season returns on Thursday night, with teams at the top of the league standings looking to prove their mettle against close competition across the long holiday weekend.

The No. 5 Seattle Storm have arguably the toughest weekend assignments, taking on the No. 4 Atlanta Dream on Friday before tackling the No. 3 New York Liberty on Sunday.

Four middle-of-the-pack teams will look to close in on a double-digit season win tally while the league's frontrunners strive to maintain their advantage in this weekend's slate:

• No. 7 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 8 Indiana Fever, Thursday at 7 PM ET (Prime): Though still without star Caitlin Clark, the Fever hope to harness their 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup victory momentum against an Aces side tied with Indiana with an 8-8 season record.

• No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 4 Atlanta Dream, Thursday at 7:30 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): Seattle will look to make strides against a strong Atlanta side while putting last Sunday's stinging 84-57 loss to up-and-comer Golden State in their rearview.

• No. 6 Golden State Valkyries vs. No. 1 Minnesota Lynx, Saturday at 8 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The rising Valkyries must face a Lynx side hunting redemption, as the league-leaders look to bounce back from their stifling Tuesday Commissioner's Cup upset loss.

• No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 3 New York Liberty, Sunday at 1 PM ET (CBS): With injured Liberty center Jonquel Jones still sidelined, the Seattle Storm will have a chance to steal a weekend game against the reigning champs, as New York struggles to re-find their footing.

With the 2025 WNBA All-Star break looming, early top performers must keep standards high if they want to hold the line when the season crosses the midway point.