Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova has hired American legend Jimmy Connors to be her new coach.
The move comes two weeks after the 26-year-old crashed out of Wimbledon in the second round, losing to 131st-ranked Portuguese qualifier Michelle Larcher de Brito.
The loss led Sharapova to cut ties with her coach of the past three years, Thomas Hogstedt of Sweden.
In a statement on her website, Sharapova said she was excited about her new partnership with Connors and looking forward to upcoming tournaments.
Sharapova, currently the world's second-ranked woman player, won the 2012 French Open to become one of the few players to win all four Grand Slams. (She had previously won the Australian Open, U.S. Open, and Wimbledon titles.)
Before that, however, her last Grand Slam win was in 2008. Connors is the winner of eight Grand Slam titles.
The move comes two weeks after the 26-year-old crashed out of Wimbledon in the second round, losing to 131st-ranked Portuguese qualifier Michelle Larcher de Brito.
The loss led Sharapova to cut ties with her coach of the past three years, Thomas Hogstedt of Sweden.
In a statement on her website, Sharapova said she was excited about her new partnership with Connors and looking forward to upcoming tournaments.
Sharapova, currently the world's second-ranked woman player, won the 2012 French Open to become one of the few players to win all four Grand Slams. (She had previously won the Australian Open, U.S. Open, and Wimbledon titles.)
Before that, however, her last Grand Slam win was in 2008. Connors is the winner of eight Grand Slam titles.