Maria Sharapova life and biography

Maria Sharapova is a former World No. 1 Russian professional tennis player. Sharapova has won 22 WTA singles titles, 3 WTA doubles titles and 3 Grand Slam singles titles, consisting of the 2004 Wimbledon, 2006 US Open and 2008 Australian Open. She was also runner-up at the 2007 Australian Open. She has also won the year-ending Sony Ericsson Championships in 2004.

A three-time Grand Slam singles champion and a former world No. 1, Russian glamazon Maria Sharapova is one of the world’s most popular female athletes. Born and Siberia and raised in Sochi, site of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games, Sharapova and her father Yuri moved to Florida when she was 7 so she could train at Nick Bollettieri’s tennis academy. In 2004, at age 17, she upset then two-time defending champion Serena Williams in the Wimbledon final to claim her first major. In 2005, a season during which she reached the French Open quarterfinals and the semis of the other three Slams, Sharapova achieved the No. 1 ranking for the first time and held it for a total of seven weeks. In 2006 she made her second career major final, defeating Justine Henin to take the U.S. Open trophy. In January 2007, Sharapova was trounced, 6-1, 6-2, by Serena Williams in the Australian Open final, but the Russian held the No. 1 ranking for a total of 10 weeks that season. In 2008, she defeated Ana Ivanovic in the Australian Open final to avenge her lopsided loss to Serena at that event the previous year and earn her third career major title. She reclaimed the No. 1 spot for three weeks in 2008. An injury to her right (serving) shoulder cut her 2008 season short, and Sharapova underwent arthroscopic surgery in October of that year. She returned to Grand Slam competition at the 2009 French Open and made the quarterfinals. The statuesque Sharapova, who has graced the cover of several women’s fashion magazines, was named the world’s highest-paid female athlete by Forbes in 2008.

Timeline:
Coached by father, Yuri Sharapov, and Michael Joyce; mother is Yelena
Started playing at age 4; at 6, participated in Moscow exhibition that featured Navratilova; began training at Bollettieri Academy at age 9 (required two-year separation from mother due to visa restrictions, finances)
Also interested in fashion, singing, dancing, movies (favorites are Mona Lisa Smile, Something's Gotta Give, Love Actually)
Enjoys reading books in the Sherlock Holmes and Pippi Longstocking series
Prefers Russian and Thai cuisine; favorite dessert is French crêpes w/nutella; favorite drinks are orangina, virgin strawberry daiquiris
Signed with IMG Models in 2003.
At 2005 Australian Open, donated value of Porsche Cayenne she won at 2004 Tour Championships (approx. US$56,300) to those affected by school hostage crisis in Beslan.

Singles Titles:
2010: Memphis, Strasbourg
2009: Tokyo
2008: Australian Open, Doha, Amelia Island
2007: San Diego
2006: Indian Wells, San Diego, US Open, Zürich, Linz
2005: Tokyo, Doha, Birmingham
2004: Birmingham, Wimbledon, Seoul, Tokyo, WTA Championships
2003: Tokyo, Québec City

Doubles Titles:
2004: Birmingham
2003: Tokyo, Luxembourg

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