"Coming out of retirement" - Maria Sharapova jokes about making virtual comeback in TopSpin 2K25 as playable character

Maria Sharapova recently joked about making a virtual comeback in the tennis-centered video game, TopSpin 2K25.

Sharapova was ranked World No. 1 in women's singles for a total of 21 weeks. The Russian is one of ten women to achieve the career Grand Slam, having won five Major titles -- two at the French Open and one each at the Australian Open, Wimbledon Championships, and the US Open. The 37-year-old also won 36 titles in total, including the year-end championships on her debut in 2004.

The five-time Grand Slam champion announced her retirement from competitive tennis in February 2020. The Russian's last match was a first-round loss to Donna Vekic at the 2020 Australian Open.

Fast forward to 2024, Sharapova is set to make a virtual comeback in the much-anticipated video game, TopSpin 2K25. The game, released on April 26, features over 25 playable pros, including Sharapova, Andre Agassi, Coco Gauff and more.

Sharapova shared the promo for TopSpin 2K25 on her X (formerly Twitter) account and jokingly said that she was coming out of retirement for this game.

TopSpin 2K25, the latest installment of the popular tennis game series , is available on major gaming platforms. The game released in three different versions: Standard, Deluxe, and Grand Slam.

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"I appreciate where the sport has taken me, but I definitely love seeing it from the outside now" - Maria Sharapova

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Maria Sharapova expressed her contentment with her current life phase post-retirement.

Speaking to People magazine in August 2023, the five-time Grand Slam champion acknowledged the lessons tennis has imparted to her, but mentioned that she now enjoys observing the sport as a viewer.

"I'm very happy with where I am at this stage of life. I appreciate what the sport has taught me and where it's taken me, but I definitely love seeing it from the outside now," Sharapova said.

The former World No. 1 reflected on the biggest life lessons she learned from her time on the court.

"You learn so many lessons as a professional tennis player, and one of the biggest ones is how to handle yourself whether you win or whether you lose. There are so many things you can't control, and that's OK. You have to learn to accept that, which for me was always a work in progress," Sharapova said.

"But you also learn how you take care of your body, and ask yourself, are you eating nutritious foods? Are you drinking enough water? So all those components of being an athlete are just incredible educational tools for taking you to different parts of your life, like parenthood," she added.

Maria Sharapova has been in a relationship with British businessman Alexander Gilkes. They started dating in 2018 and got engaged in the same year she retired. The couple welcomed a son named Theodore, in July 2022.