Maria Sharapova yesterday sent a shudder through the tennis industry when she foreshadowed following Kim Clijsters’ lead by retiring as young as 24.

Sharapova, 19, said that despite her reputation as one of the most dedicated young players, “tennis isn’t everything” and she looked forward to the day when she became a mother.
The Russian is the leading endorsement earner in tennis with the retirement of Andre Agassi and could earn up to $40 million this year from a career which officials would like to see run into her 30s.

The top seed for tomorrow’s Australian Open, Sharapova can reach the No.1 ranking for a second time by at least matching her achievements in making the semi-finals for the past two years.

“As long as I have the motivation, I’ll be playing, but I definitely think there are a lot of other things in life than tennis,” Sharapova said.

“I want to have a family, of course. I want to try other things in my career.

“But I can definitely see myself retiring at that age. It’s hard to think when you’re going to stop.

“I’m definitely enjoying what I’m doing right now.

“I love the feeling of going on the court and trying to get myself better. I still have that motivation to work hard.”

Sharapova plays France’s Camille Pin, ranked No.61, first up in Melbourne and is seeded to play Clijsters or triple Australian Open champion Martina Hingis in the semi-finals.