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.

U.S. Soccer announced Tuesday that the USWNT will play their last home game on July 16th in the lead-up to the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.

The 2024 Send-Off Match against Costa Rica will take place at Washington, DC’s Audi Field — home to both the Washington Spirit and DC United — at 7:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, July 16th. The friendly rounds out a four-game Olympic run-up campaign under incoming head coach Emma Hayes’ side, with the last two set to feature the finalized 2024 U.S. Olympic Women’s Soccer Team roster.

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Hayes will appear on the USWNT sideline for the first time this June, helming the team as they embark on a two-game series against Korea Republic hosted by Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado on June 1st followed by Allianz Stadium in St. Paul, Minnesota on June 4th. 

The team is then scheduled to meet a talented Mexico squad on July 13th at Gotham FC’s Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, where the Olympic-bound lineup will attempt to rewrite February’s shocking 2-0 loss to El Tri Femenil in the group stages of this year’s Concacaf W Gold Cup. And while clear roster favorites have emerged from both of this year’s Gold Cup and SheBelives Cup rosters, a spate of recent and recurring injuries means making it to the Olympics is still largely anyone’s game.

Broadcast and streaming channels for the USWNT's final July 16th friendly at Audi Field include TNT, truTV, Universo, Max, and Peacock.

The USA Basketball Women's National Team is still considering Caitlin Clark for a spot on the Paris Olympics squad, says selection committee chair Jennifer Rizzotti. 

On Monday, Rizzotti told the AP that the committee will be evaluating the college phenom’s Olympic prospects by keeping a close eye on her first few weeks of WNBA play with Indiana.

The move is somewhat unconventional. While Clark was invited to participate in the 14-player national team training camp held earlier this month — the last camp before Team USA’s roster drops — she was unable to attend due to it coinciding with Iowa’s trip to the NCAA Women’s Final Four.

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Judging by the immense talent spread throughout the league in what might be their most hyped season to date, competition for a piece of the Olympic pie could be fiercer than ever before.

"You always want to introduce new players into the pool whether it's for now or the future," said Rizzotti. "We stick to our principles of talent, obviously, positional fit, loyalty and experience. It's got to be a combination of an entire body of work. It's still not going to be fair to some people."

Of course, Clark isn’t the first rookie the committee has made exceptions for. Coming off an exceptional college season that saw her averaging 19.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 4 assists per game for UConn, Breanna Stewart was tapped to represent the U.S. at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil less than two weeks after being drafted No. 1 overall by the Seattle Storm. Eight years prior, fellow No. 1 pick Candace Parker punched her ticket to the 2008 Games in Beijing just two weeks after making her first appearance for the L.A. Sparks.

In the lead-up to Paris’ Opening Ceremony on July 26th, USA Basketball Women’s National Team is scheduled to play a pair of exhibition games. They'll first go up against the WNBA's finest at the July 20th WNBA All-Star Game in Phoenix before facing Germany in London on July 23rd.

While an official roster announcement date hasn’t yet been issued, players won’t find out if they’ve made this year’s Olympic cut until at least June 1st.

For the first time in history, three different WNBA teams have completely sold out of season ticket plans well before the league's May 14th kick-off.

Call it the Caitlin Clark effect, attribute it to this year’s tenacious rookie class, or look to the skyrocketing visibility of veteran players across the board. But no matter the cause, facts are facts: Tickets to the 2024 WNBA season are selling like never before. 

On Monday, the Dallas Wings became the third team to sell out of season ticket memberships in the league’s 27-year history. The announcement from Arlington came shortly after the Atlanta Dream issued their own season ticket sell-out statement, also on Monday, and almost seven weeks after the back-to-back WNBA Champion Las Vegas Aces made headlines by becoming the first-ever WNBA team to sell out their season ticket allotment.   

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According to the Wings, season ticket memberships will fill nearly 40% of the 6,251 seats inside their home arena, College Park Center. The club also said that their overall ticket revenue has ballooned to the tune of 220% this year, spanning not just season tickets but also a 1,200% increase in single ticket sales. There’s currently a waitlist to become a Dallas season ticket holder, a status that comes with extra incentives like playoff presale access and discounts on additional single-game tickets. 

In Atlanta, season tickets aren't the only thing flying off the shelves. The Dream also announced that they broke their own record for single-game ticket sales during a recent limited presale campaign. Sunday was reportedly their most lucrative day, with five different games totally selling out Gateway Center Arena. Individual tickets for all upcoming matchups will hit the market this Thursday at 8 a.m., while a waitlist for season ticket memberships will open up next Tuesday at 10 a.m.

"Excitement around women's sports, particularly basketball, is at an all-time high and nowhere is that felt more than here in Atlanta," Dream president and COO Morgan Shaw Parker said in the team’s statement. "We’ve continued a record-setting growth trajectory over the past three years under new ownership — both on and off the court — and 2024 is shaping up to be our best season yet."

As of Tuesday, season ticket sales revenue for Caitlin Clark’s hotly anticipated Indiana Fever debut haven’t yet been announced by the club. But if these numbers are any indication — not to mention the explosive demand for Fever away games felt by teams around the country — it won’t be long before we see some scale-tipping figures coming out of Indianapolis.

25-year-old American pro golfer Nelly Korda secured her spot in LPGA history on Sunday, notching her fifth-straight title at this weekend's Chevron Championship in The Woodlands, Texas.

Ranked No. 1 in the world by Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, Korda joins Nancy Lopez (1978) and Annika Sörenstam (2005) as just the third LPGA player to rack up five consecutive tour wins. She is also the third No. 1-ranked player to capture The Chevron Championship victory since the rankings debuted in 2006, accompanied by Lorena Ochoa and Lydia Ko.

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The Florida native shot three-under 69 in Sunday's final, besting Sweden's Maja Stark despite Stark's valiant come-from-behind attempt in the 18th. Korda finished with a four-day total of 13-under 275, celebrating her two-stroke win by cannonballing into Poppie's Pond, much to the crowd's delight. She left The Club at Carlton Woods with $1.2 million from an overall purse of $7.9 million.

It wasn't long ago that the two-time major champion's current winning streak seemed unimaginable. After maintaining her No. 1 position for 29 weeks, Korda underwent surgery to remove a blood clot from her left arm in 2022. She returned to the course not long after, but failed to win a single tournament in 2023 before seeing a surge in form during the first four months of 2024. As of today, she hasn't lost a tournament since January.

Korda will attempt a record sixth-straight win at next week's JM Eagle LA Championship at Wilshire Country Club in Los Angeles, where she'll vie for a cut of the $3.75 million purse.