Maria Yuryevna Sharapova (Russian:
Мари́я Ю́рьевна Шара́пова , Mariya Yur’evna Sharapova; born April 19, 1987) is a formerly World No. 1 Russian professional tennis player. She has won three Grand Slam singles titles. In 2004 at the age of 17, she won Wimbledon, defeating Serena Williams in the final. She has since won the 2006 US Open, defeating Justine Henin in the final and the 2008 Australian Open, defeating Ana Ivanović in the final.Sharapova has represented Russia in Fed Cup, although her appearances have been controversial.| ckname(s) | Masha | |
| Country |  Russia | |
| Residence | Longboat Key, Florida, United States | |
| Date of birth | April 19, 1987 | |
| Place of birth | Nyagan, Soviet Union | |
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | |
| Weight | 59.1 kg (130 lb; 9.31 st) | |
| Turned pro | April 19, 2001 | |
| Plays | Right-handed; two-handed backhand | |
| Career prize money | US$12,383,566 | |
| Singles | ||
| Career record: | 315–73 (81.2%) | |
| Career titles: | 19 | |
| Highest ranking: | No. 1 (August 22, 2005) | |
| Grand Slam results | ||
| AU Open | W (2008) | |
| French Open | SF (2007) | |
| Wimbledon | W (2004) | |
| US Open | W (2006) | |
| Major tournaments | ||
| WTA Championships | W (2004) | |
| Doubles | ||
| Career record: | 23–17 | |
| Career titles: | 3 | |
| Highest ranking: | No. 41 (June 14, 2004) | |
| AU Open | 2R (2003, 2004) | |
| US Open | 2R (2003) | |
Sharapova was born in 1987 to Yuri and Elena, ethnic Russians, in the town of Nyagan in Siberia, Russia. Her parents moved from Gomel, Belarus after the Chernobyl nuclear accident in 1986 affected the region. When Sharapova was two, the family moved to Sochi where her father befriended Aleksandr Kafelnikov, whose son Yevgeny would go on to become a Grand Slam champion. Aleksandr gave Sharapova her first tennis racket at the age of four, whereupon she began practicing regularly with her father in a local park.
Career statistics and 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
- Named the country's best female player for the year by Russia's tennis federation
- Master of Sports of Russia
- Prix de Citron Roland Garros
- 2006
- Named the country's best female player for the year by Russia's tennis federation
- Whirlpool 6th Sense Player of the Year
- 2007
- ESPY Best Female Tennis Player
- ESPY Best International Female Athlete
- ESPN Hottest Female Athlete
- 2008
- Named the January 2008 female Athlete of the Month by the United States Sports Academy for her performance at the Australian Open
- ESPY Best Female Tennis Player
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