Maria Sharapova Biography

Born: April 19, 1987, Nyagan, Russia

Height: 1.88 m

Weight: 59 kg

Grand slams: 4

Nationality: Russian

Parents: Yelena Sharapova, Yuri Sharapov

Maria Sharapova was born on April 19, 1987, in Nyagan, Russia. She started playing tennis at an early age and turned professional at the age of 14. Sharapova won Wimbledon in 2004 against Serena Williams and has gone on to win the US Open and Australian Open. In 2012, she won the French Open, becoming the 10th woman to complete a career Grand Slam. At the 2012 Summer Olympic Games -- Sharapova's Olympic debut -- she won a silver medal in women's singles,losing the gold to American tennis star Serena Williams.

Early Life

Tennis player Maria Sharapova was born on April 19, 1987, in Nyagan, Siberia, Russia. Sharapova began playing tennis as a young child, and at age 9 was taken by her father to Florida, where she enrolled at a tennis academy.

Turning Pro

Sharapova turned professional at 14, claimed her first WTA victory at the 2003 AIG Japan Open and also reached the fourth round at Wimbledon on her first attempt during the same year. Success came in 2004 when she won the singles title there, becoming Russia's first woman Wimbledon champion. At the end of 2004 she added the WTA Championship title to her achievements. She was ranked number 4 at the start of 2006 and that year won the US Open.

Athletic Accomplishments

In 2007, a shoulder injury sidelined Sharapova and contributed to a series of losses, but she was still ranked among the top 5 women's tennis players at the end of that year. Her shoulder injury continued to plague her game, sidelining her in 2008. In 2009, Sharapova had surgery to repair the injury and after a year of rehabilitation and a string of losses, she started to make a comeback in 2011 when she finished the year ranked 4, her first top 5 finish since 2007.

In June 2012, Sharapova defeated Sara Errani in the women's French Open, becoming the 10th woman to complete a career Grand Slam, winning all four major tennis tournaments.

At the 2012 Summer Olympic Games -- Sharapova's Olympic debut -- she won a silver medal in women's singles, losing the gold to American tennis star Serena Williams. Sharapova came in second to Williams the following year at the French Open. She lost the singles titles to Williams in the finals. That June, Sharapova made a less-than-impressive showing at Wimbledon. She only made it as far as the second round of competition.

Personal Life

Sharapova has lived in the United States since moving there at the age of seven. Besides a home in Bradenton, Florida, she also has a residence in Manhattan Beach, California. Sharapova was engaged to Slovenian professional basketball player Sasha Vujačić, who plays for the Anadolu Efes S.K. in Istanbul, Turkey.The two had been dating since 2009. On August 31, 2012, Sharapova confirmed that the engagement was off and that they had broken up in spring of 2012. From 2005–2011, Sharapova has been named in Forbes Celebrity 100. This lists her as one of the top 100 most powerful celebrities of the year.

Sharapova has made varying remarks on how long she intends to maintain her tennis career. Following the retirement of 25-year-old Justine Henin in 2008, Sharapova said, "If I was 25 and I'd won so many Grand Slams, I'd quit too." In an interview after the 2008 Australian Open, she balked at the idea of playing for another ten years, saying that she hoped to have a "nice husband and a few kids" by then. However in an interview before her 2012 Australian Open semifinal, Sharapova changed her stance, saying she intended to continue playing tennis for as long as she enjoyed playing the game. Sharapova stated "I'm sure when I was 17 years old and someone said, you'll be playing for another eight years, it would be like, you're not going to see me at a press conference at 25 years old. But years go on. I missed a year in my career I didn't play that year. I've said this, just before the tournament, a few weeks before, I woke up and I was just so happy to be going back on the court. I felt so fresh, full of energy, just with a really good perspective. Times change, obviously. I see myself playing this sport for many more years because it's something that gives me the most pleasure in my life. I think it helps when you know you're good at something, and you can always improve it. It obviously helps with the encouragement."

At the 2004 US Open, Sharapova, along with several other Russian female tennis players, wore a black ribbon in observance of the tragedy after the Beslan school hostage crisis, which took place only days before. In 2005, she donated around US$50,000 to those affected by the crisis.On February 14, 2007, Sharapova was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and donated US$210,000 to UNDP Chernobyl-recovery projects. She stated at the time that she was planning to travel back to the area after Wimbledon in 2008, though it didn't happen, as she had to travel back to the US because of shoulder injury. She fulfilled the trip in late June – early July 2010. Sharapova has helped to promote the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. In addition, with Angela Haynes, Maria Kirilenko, Nicole Vaidišová, Rennae Stubbs, Governor Jeb Bush and Jennifer Capriati, Sharapova participated in an exhibition in Tampa in December 2004, raising money for the Florida Hurricane Relief Fund. In July 2008, Sharapova sent a message on DVD to the memorial service of cancer victim Emily Bailes, who had performed the coin toss ahead of the 2004 Wimbledon final that Sharapova had gone on to win.

Awards

2003

Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Newcomer of the Year

2004

WTA Player of the Year

WTA Most Improved Player of the Year

2005

ESPY Best Female Tennis Player

Prix de Citron Roland Garros

2006

Whirlpool 6th Sense Player of the Year

2007

ESPY Best Female Tennis Player

ESPY Best International Female Athlete

2008

ESPY Best Female Tennis Player

2010

WTA Fan Favorite Singles Player

WTA Humanitarian of the Year

WTA Most Fashionable Player (On Court)

WTA Most Fashionable Player (Off Court)

WTA Most Dramatic Expression

2012

ESPY Best Female Tennis Player

Medal of the Order For Merit to the Fatherland 2nd Class (April 28, 2012) – for her philanthropic activity

Medal of the Order For Merit to the Fatherland 1st Class (August 13, 2012) – for her outstanding contribution to the development of physical cultures and sports at the XXX Olympic Games in 2012 in London (Great Britain).

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