Maria Sharapova
Date of Birth: 19.04.1987
Place of Birth, Childhood, and Youth. Maria Sharapova was born in the small Siberian town of Nyagan, where her parents moved from Gomel to escape the aftermath of the Chernobyl reactor disaster. She started playing tennis at the age of 4.5 when her family was already living in Sochi. Masha's father was friends with the father of the famous Russian tennis player Yevgeny Kafelnikov, and it was Yevgeny who gifted the girl her first racket.
At the age of six, Maria Sharapova played against Martina Navratilova when she was giving a masterclass in Moscow. After recognizing the talent in the very young tennis player, Navratilova strongly advised Masha's father to send her to the Nick Bollettieri tennis academy in Florida. Her father, who was always eager to nurture his daughter's tennis talent and now travels to most tournaments with her, followed the great tennis player's advice and soon moved with Masha to America. Masha's mother Elena could only move to the USA two years later when she received an exit permit. Sharapova saw through all the coaches in America and chose Robert Lansdorp for her daughter, who raised champions like Pete Sampras, Lindsay Davenport, and Tracy Austin.
Sporting Achievements. Maria Sharapova had an astonishing tennis career in a relatively short time.
Winner of 36 WTA singles tournaments: Tokyo (Japan Open, 2003), Quebec City (2003), Birmingham (2004), Wimbledon (2004), Seoul (2004), Tokyo (Japan Open, 2004), WTA Tour Championships (2004), Tokyo (Pan Pacific, 2005), Doha (2005), Birmingham (2005), Indian Wells (2006), Acura Classic (2006), US Open (2006), Zurich (2006), Linz (2006), Acura Classic (2007), Australian Open (2008), Doha (2008), Amelia Island (2008), Tokyo (2009), Memphis (2010), Strasbourg (2010), Rome (2011), Cincinnati (2011), Stuttgart (2012), Rome (2012), Paris (2012), Indian Wells (2013), Stuttgart (2013), Stuttgart (2014), Madrid (2014), Paris (2014), Beijing (2014), Brisbane (2015).
Winner of three WTA doubles tournaments: Tokyo (Japan Open, 2003), Luxembourg (2003), and Birmingham (2004).
Finalist in 7 WTA singles tournaments: Zurich (2004), Miami (2005), Dubai (2006), Miami (2006), Australian Open (2007), Birmingham (2007), Sony Ericsson Championships (2007).
Best results at Grand Slam tournaments: Wimbledon (2004), US Open (2006), Australian Open (2008), Roland Garros (2012), Roland Garros (2015) - victories.
Winner of four ITF tournaments in singles: Gunma, Vancouver, Peachtree (all 2002) and Sea Island (2003).
Winner of three ITF junior tournaments up to 18 years: Pilsen (2001), Sacramento (2001), and Hilton Head (2001).
Finalist in two first-category ITF junior tournaments, the Junior Australian Open up to 18 years (2002) and the Junior Wimbledon up to 18 years (2002).
Silver medalist at the 2012 Olympics in singles.
Views and Assessments. 'Tennis is what drives her. Forget everything that has nothing to do with tennis - posing for magazines and so on. Yes, she does that too, but I assure you, compared to tennis, she doesn't care. What she accomplishes on the court means more to her than anything else. Just look at how she trains. She never stands in the middle of the court and wastes time on warm-up exercises. No, she always goes straight to the court and says: 'So, let's damn start!' She is a real fighter, and anyone at the academy who spars with her quickly becomes a test subject,' says Nick Bollettieri, who has also coached Monica Seles and Andre Agassi.
And he adds: 'She never wastes time in training - she is always extremely focused and ready to give her maximum. In tournaments, she is selfish - she wants to win every ball, maintains stability easily, and has a positive attitude. The plan for winning the next game is developed by Dad Yuri. He is the commander. And Maria goes to the front line.'
'Screaming Cinderella.' Maria received this nickname due to her loud behavior on the court and her pleasant appearance. She has already tried her hand as a model. She hardly pays attention to comparisons with another Russian tennis player, Anna Kournikova, although she says it annoys her a little.
In her spare time, Maria enjoys shopping or going to the cinema, listens to Russian and foreign music, and reads books in Russian and English.
She is interested in fashion, follows new models, and tries to design her own clothes. She loves to combine colors.
Disqualification. On March 7, 2016, Sharapova admitted in a hurried press conference that she had used doping, namely the banned drug Meldonium, which was contained in the medication Mildronate she had been taking for 10 years. A doping test conducted on January 26 in Melbourne yielded a positive result. According to Sharapova, the drug was taken solely for therapeutic purposes. By the decision of the Anti-Doping Committee of the International Tennis Federation, she was disqualified for two years on June 8, 2016. Following an appeal filed by Sharapova, the suspension was reduced to 15 months, allowing her to return to the court on April 26, 2017. In October 2016, Maria was removed from the WTA rankings.
On February 26, 2020, she retired from sports at the age of 32.
Income. According to Forbes, she earned 18.2 million US dollars in 2004. From May 1, 2010, to May 1, 2011, Sharapova was listed among the highest-paid athletes by the magazine. Her income for this period was estimated at 24.2 million US dollars. In 2013, she was declared the highest-paid female athlete in the world for the ninth consecutive year. According to Forbes, Sharapova's total income from June 2012 to June 2013 amounted to 29 million US dollars.
Personal Life. In 2005, she had a brief relationship with Adam Levine, the lead singer of the pop-rock band Maroon 5.
On October 21, 2010, Sharapova's engagement to Slovenian basketball player Sasha Vujacic, who played in the NBA, was announced. In August 2012, Sharapova announced that they had split.
In May 2013, Sharapova confirmed that she was in a relationship with Bulgarian tennis player Grigor Dimitrov. They broke up in the summer of 2015.
On October 19, 2018, Maria Sharapova posted a photo of British millionaire Alexander Gilkes on her Instagram account and confirmed that she is in a romantic relationship with him. In December 2020, their engagement was announced.
April 18, 2022