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Maria Sharapova Profile |
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Birth Date: April 19, 1987
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Birth Place: Nyagan, Russia
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Birth Name: Maria Yuryevna Sharapova
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Height: 6'2"
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Biography |
Maria Sharapova was born on April 19, 1987 in Nyagan, a town
in the Siberian region of Russia. In 1989, the family moved
to the Black Sea resort town of Sochi.
When she was 4 years old, a chance encounter changed her
life. She met with the father of tennis champion Yevgeny
Kafelnikov, and the man gave her a racket. From that moment,
she started hitting tennis balls. The game soon became a
passion for her.
Two years later, she was performing at a tennis clinic when
another tennis champion changed her life. Martina
Navratilova was in the building and she was flabbergasted by
the talent of the 6-year-old. She went to her father, Yuri,
and recommended that he take his daughter to the
world-famous Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida.
sharapova moves to america
Soon after, this same advice was repeated by the head coach
of the Russian Federation. Everyone agreed it was the best
thing to do in light of Maria's enormous talent. When she
was only 7, Yuri took his daughter to the U.S. without
knowing a word of English and with less than $1,000 in his
pocket.
IMG, the sports management company, agreed to sponsor Maria
and put up the $35,000 US per year it costs to stay at the
Bollettieri Academy. Not knowing any English either, she was
very shy and introverted.
While her father took odd jobs, Maria moved into the school
dorm when she was 9. Sharing a room with three older girls,
she quickly learned the language. Still, it was hard on her,
especially since her mother, Yelena, remained in Russia
because she couldn't get the proper visa.
Two years later, her mother was finally able to come to
Florida and be reunited with her daughter and husband. From
that moment, she took it upon herself to educate Maria, who
has never been in a formal school in her life.
maria's smash hit
Her official tennis career began in 2001, when she joined
the junior circuit. During that year, she won 25 matches and
only lost three. In the process, she came away with three
titles: Sacramento, Hilton Head and Pilsen in the Czech
Republic.
The following season, Sharapova did even better on the
junior circuit with 26 victories and, again, only three
losses. She once more won three titles: Vancouver, Peachtree
and Gunma in Japan. The same year, she was allowed to play a
limited number of matches on the professional tour.
She won one match and lost two, including one against Monica
Seles in the second round at Indian Wells, her first
professional tournament. After all the results were
tabulated, she was ranked 186th on the WTA charts.
sharapova's year
By 2003, Sharapova had paid her dues and was able to play in
the big leagues. She joined the WTA Tour and impressed
everyone with her talent. For that season, she came away
with 34 wins and a negligible 11 losses.
Sharapova also won two professional titles: Quebec City and
the Japan Open. She also won two doubles titles with
Tamarine Tanasugarn: Luxembourg and the Japan Open. When the
season was over, her ranking had improved to place her at
number 32.
In 2004, she stunned Wimbledon audiences when she beat
champion player Serena Williams, making Sharapova the first
Russian to win a Wimbledon singles title and the
third-youngest women's champion in history.
sharapova hits the books
At present, she is putting an end to her high school
education through Keystone High, an online high school. She
does photo shoots once in a while but her priority is
tennis. Besides, she doesn't need the money, as she has very
lucrative endorsement deals with Nike, NEC and Prince.
Sharapova currently resides in Bradenton, Florida. |
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Other
Information |
2004 women's Wimbledon champion. Defeated two-time defending
champion Serena Williams 6-1, 6-4.
Born in Siberia, Russia, and raised in the United States
since age seven. Father Yuri brought her to the U.S. in
1994, but mother Yelena didn't join them until two years
later due to visa problems.
She was (and still is) so ambidextrous that she almost
became a left-handed tennis player.
She won the 2004 WTA Championships, defeating Serena
Williams 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 in the final to pocket one million
dollars and win a new Porsche Cayenne to donate to a charity
of her choice.
Her loudest grunt was measured at 101.2 decibels (louder
than a motorcycle or a lawnmower) on 21 June 2005 at
Wimbledon Centre Court. Previously the loudest grunt was by
Monica Seles at 93.2 decibels.
According to the LA Times and Orange County Register, Maria
said at a press conference she has grown a few cm this year
and is now 6' 2". She's been having back pains and has had
to pull out of some tournaments due to the pain which she
thinks is from a growth spurt.
Became number 1 in the world in August 2005 & is the first
Russian player to become the best player in the world
On the Forbes 2006 Richest Young Celebrities List, it is
reported she earned $18.2 million in 2005. She was the
highest-paid female athlete of the year. |
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