Jimmy Connors new coach of Sharapova

Russian tennis ace Maria Sharapova has named former US tennis player Jimmy Connors as her new coach, after announcing that she had parted ways with his coach of three years Thomas Hogstedt.

The World No.2, who lost in the second round of Wimbledon to Michelle Larcher de Brito, had announced her split with Hogstedt, saying that Hogstedt was 'not able to travel in the near future', BBC reports.

Announcing her new partnership with the eight-time Grand Slam title winner Connors, Sharapova said that she is excited about her new partnership and is looking forward to working with Connors.

Connors also expressed his happiness on Twitter, saying that he is looking forward to working with the four-time Grand Slam champion, adding that his work will be a combination of hard work and fun and his ultimate goal is to increase Sharapova's Grand Slam titles.

According to the report, Sharapova, who has won three Grand Slam tournaments between 2004 and 2008 and added the French Open to her list of major titles in 2012, worked with the American in 2008, just before the Australian Open.

Connors previously coached Andy Roddick, who he helped reach the final of the US Open in 2006, the semi-finals of the Australian Open in 2007 and the quarter-finals of both Wimbledon and the US Open that year before they split in March 2008.

Connors won five US Open titles, Wimbledon twice and the Australian Open once as a player, topping the world rankings from July 1974 to August 1977, the report added.