Australian tennis fans may have seen the last of tennis superstar Maria Sharapova.
The five-times grand slam champion and former world No.1 conceded she faced an uncertain future after being unceremoniously dumped from the Australian Open first round.
Sharapova is projected to plummet to 366th in the rankings after losing 6-3 6-4 to Donna Vekic on Tuesday.
The 32-year-old had already dropped to world No.145 after her 2019 season was dogged by a shoulder injury that limited her to just eight tournaments.
But Sharapova refused to blame the injury for her recent woes.
“I can speak about my struggles and the things that I’ve gone through with my shoulder, but it’s not really in my character to,” she said.
“I put myself out there. As tough as it was, I finished the match and, yeah, it wasn’t the way that I wanted.”
It will be the first time since September 2002 that Sharapova has dipped outside the top 300.
Failing entry as a wildcard or qualifier, Sharapova will need to scale the top 100 to guarantee a return in Melbourne.
“I was fortunate to get myself to be here and thankfully (Tennis Australian chief executive) Craig (Tiley) and the team allowing me to be part of this event,” she said.
“It’s tough for me to tell what’s going to happen in 12 months’ time.”
Sharapova’s loss was her third straight first-round exit from a major after flops last year at Wimbledon and the US Open.
The fallen star was left to rue chances to level the match at a set apiece, relinquishing two breaks of serve from 4-1 up in the second set.
“It’s a combination of she definitely stepped up on those points, played well, played big, deep, and a little bit of making the wrong choices,” Sharapova said.
Vekic had a breakout 2019 on the WTA tour, rising into the top 20 and securing a quarter-final berth at Flushing Meadows.
It was her first career win over Sharapova but she was especially pleased after losing to her in off-season practice in Monaco.
“She killed me, like, 6-1,” Vekic said.
“I knew it was going to be a tough match and that I had to bring my A-game.”
Vekic will have a golden chance to progress past the second round at the Open for the first time when she meets either France’s Alize Cornet or Romanian qualifier Monica Niculescu.