Tuesday 8 March 2016 17:07, UK
She will forever be known as the queen of the courts who brought glamour to the game and became a significant role model for young women around the globe.
But after Maria Sharapova shocked the sporting world by announcing at a news conference in Los Angeles on Monday she had failed a drugs test at the Australian Open, her image could now be seriously tarnished.
The 28-year-old Russian has played in only three WTA Tour events over the past eight months and has not taken to the court competitively since losing to Serena Williams in the Australian Open quarter-finals in January.
Sharapova, who tested positive for a substance called Meldonium, claimed she did not realise the substance was illegal, but took "full responsibility" for her actions.
The International Tennis Federation said Sharapova, who now faces a ban from the sport, had been informed of the positive test on March 2 and she will be provisionally suspended from March 12.
Her career started in 2001 as she made her professional debut aged just 14.
She won 35 career WTA titles and is among a select 10 women - six in the the Open era - who own a career Grand Slam.
Sharapova is a five-time major champion having won the 2004 Wimbledon crown, the 2006 US Open title, the 2008 Australian Open and the 2012 and 2014 French Opens. She also won a silver medal for Russia at the 2012 London Olympics.
Currently ranked seventh in the world, Sharapova has suffered from assorted injuries over the past decade, and required shoulder surgery in 2008 that led to her being sidelined for nine months.
Sharapova also missed the second half of the 2013 season because of a shoulder injury.
Her ferocity on the court, business acumen and glamorous looks have all combined to make her a marketing juggernaut and the overseer of successful ventures, notably her "Sugarpova" candy line and a very successful apparel collection.
Although Sharapova hasn't beaten Serena Williams since 2004 she does have the edge in terms of earning power.
She was the highest paid female athlete in 2015 with £21m, according to Forbes - in fact she has topped that list for the last 11 years. Here, we look back at her Grand Slam achievements:
2004 Wimbledon bt Serena Williams 6-1 6-4
At just 17 years old, Sharapova, playing in her first major final, stunned Williams, who was expected to make it a hat-trick of titles at the All England Club.
Sharapova took the first set in just 30 minutes and never looked back to become the first Russian woman to win the Wimbledon title.
She also became the second youngest champion after Martina Hingis, who was 16 when she triumphed in 1997.
2006 US Open bt Justine Henin 6-4 6-4
At 19, Sharapova claimed her second major against Henin, who was playing in her fourth Grand Slam final of the year.
Sharapova had knocked out top seed Amelie Mauresmo in the semi-finals, gaining revenge over the Frenchwoman who had beaten her at Wimbledon earlier in the year. After the final, Her delighted celebration saw the top of the winner's trophy fly off.
2008 Australian Open bt Ana Ivanovic 7-5 6-3
Seeded fifth, Sharapova put out Lindsay Davenport in the second round and then world No 1 Henin in the quarter-finals, ending the Belgian's 32-match winning streak. Jelena Jankovic was her next victim in the semi-finals before seeing off Ivanovic in the final, having not dropped a set all tournament.
2012 French Open bt Sara Errani 6-3 6-2
Sharapova became only the 10th woman to complete a career Grand Slam with victory at Roland Garros. During the tournament, she was also asked to carry the Russian flag in the Olympic Games opening ceremony in London later in the year.
2014 French Open bt Simona Halep 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-4
Sharapova won her second French Open title in three years in a gripping final, the first to go the full distance in Paris in 13 years and the second longest on record.
It was the 27-year-old Russian's fifth Grand Slam title, bringing her level with Martina Hingis on the all-time list, and it came 10 years after she won her first major at Wimbledon.
Sharapova was dressed all in black as she made the shocking revelation of the failed drugs test at a pre-arranged news conference on Monday.
She said: "I know many of you thought I was retiring but if I was ever going to announce my retirement it would probably not be in a downtown Los Angeles hotel with this fairly ugly carpet."
In 2011, after being played off the court by Andrea Petkovic at the Australian Open, Sharapova summed up her love of the game by saying: "I have done many things in my career. I've won many matches and been No 1 in the world and also had an opportunity to say that I've had enough.
"I could do many other things in my life. I have enough money; I have a great family around me. But when I was away from the sport [all] I wanted to do was to wake up in the morning and not put my ballerinas on, but to put on my Nikes and go out there and run and play.
"When it was taken away from me, I realised how much I loved it. When you go through it every single day, you almost forget. Then you take a step back and say, 'I miss this'. I really wanted it."
The question is, what now for Sharapova? Will she be given another chance?
"I did fail the test, and I take full responsibility for it," a sombre Sharapova said.
"I made a huge mistake. I let my fans down. I let my sport down that I've been playing since the age of four that I love so deeply.
"I know that with this I face consequences and I don't want to end my career this way - and I really hope I will be given another chance to play this game."
Only time will tell...
