Wimbledon: Maria Sharapova to quit... in a few years' time

Maria Sharapova has hinted she might do a Justine Henin and quit tennis in a few years' time - after establishing herself as the world No.1. The glamorous Russian, who comes into Wimbledon on the back of another French Open disappointment, insists she'd like to go out at the top. Sharapova, 21, said: "If I were 25 and I'd achieved the things that Justine right has achieved in her career, I'd feel like there was a lot more to life to explore. "From the age that you start, every single day you're training. "Everything you do that is not tennis, you think of all the consequences. "One of the things that I'd look forward to is not thinking, 'How is this going to hurt me when I go back on the practice court?' "Justine is 25 and she has achieved so much in her career. If I was 25 and I had won so many Grand Slams, I'd quit too. "The worst thing about my life is not being able to see my friends and family for a long period. Living from hotel to hotel, it's sometimes a nightmare. "Often I've woken up in a hotel room and I've forgotten which city I'm in. "When you're successful, there are lots of amazing things you can get to do. "But there's a lot of work that you have to put in to get there, when you have to grind. "And there are times when there are parties I can't go to because I'm an athlete and you have to be professional. Those are the sacrifices that you have to make. "I still find my celebrity weird - it's always strange when I see my image on the cover of a magazine." Sharapova, who has won the Wimbledon, US Open and Australian Open titles, is four Grand Slams away from matching Henin's tally. She is the world's highestpaid female athlete, but she now faces a rival in both the supermodel and super powered tennis stakes - Ana Ivanovic. Ana deposed Maria after her breakthrough French Open triumph - and Sharapova has been seeded third at SW19 behind Ivanovic and another Serb, Jelena Jankovic. Sharapova said: 'Am I up for the fight? Absolutely. Every professional athlete enjoys challenges. "I know that even though I'm only 21 there is a younger generation coming up that wants to be No.1 in the world. "That's the challenge and that's what I love about tennis."

5 Reasons to tune in
Maria Sharapova
Statuesque Russian might be as famous for her beauty as she is for her tennis but has the talent to put opponents to the sword.

Ana Ivanovic
Current world No.1 has never been past the semi-finals at Wimbledon and will be hoping to go all the way this year - as well asout doing rival Jelena Jankovic in the glamour stakes.

Maria Kirlienko
Towering, Russian and blonde - but that's where the comparisons with Sharapova end. Kirilenko has got the looks but has never been past the second round at Wimbledon.

Elena Dementieva
Yet another glamorous Russian to watch out for at SW19 over the next fortnight, the world No.5 has a good record of coming out on top against much more fancied opponents.

Daniela Hantuchova
Stunning Slovak is always one to watch in the mixed doubles - which she won in 2001 - but will be desperate to maintain a challenge on her own after reaching the Australian Open semi-finals.

Women's betting
Maria Sharapova 5/2
Serena Williams 7/2
Ana Ivanovic 4/1
Venus Williams 5/1
Jelena Jankovic 10/1
Dinara Safina 20/1
S Kuznetsova 25/1
E Dementieva 33/1
Odds courtesy of Coral

Prize money
WINNER: £750,000
RUNNER-UP: £375,000
SEMI-FINALIST: £187,500