Name : Maria Sharapova
Birth Name : Maria Yuryevna Sharapova
Profession : Model, Tennis Player
Date of Birth : April 19, 1987
Place of Birth : Nyagan, Russia
Height : 6' 2"
Claim to fame : Third youngest Wimbledon women's champion in 2004, defeated
two-time defending champion Serena Williams 6-1, 6-4.
Maria Sharapova - Detailed Biography
On the 19th of
April 1987 a new tennisstar was born in Nyagan (Russia). At the age of four
Maria picked up a racket and started playing tennis.
In 1992 Maria was spotted at a Exhibition Tournament in Moscow by tennis legend
Martina Navratilova who recommends her Nick Bollettieri's Tennis Academy in
Bradenton (Florida/USA). Maria and her father Yuri Sharapova decided to follow
Martina's advise and moved in 1995 to Miami (USA), and joined the Bollettieri's
Academy. These where hard times for the young Maria, wich started a two-year
separation from her mother who was left-behind in Russia because of visa
restrictions and the family's financial situation.
By following her dream, to become an ultimate tennisstar, she sacrificed a lot
of things. She barely saw her father for one year.
On her 14th Birthday Maria turned professional. Off court she develops interests
in reading, fashion, dancing, stampcollecting and watching movies - her
favourite movie is Pearl Harbor. In the year 2002 she reaches the final of the
Junior Australian Open, and enters the WTA world rankings at Number 532. At the
end of the year she rushes the rankings at No.186!
Maria just kept on rising in the rankings, and in 2003 she made one's first
appearance in the Australian Open and qualifies for the French Open. She also
won her first titles at the WTA tour in Japan and Quebec. She ended the year
2003 ranked 32. 2004 is the year of Maria Sharapova, the 6ft tall Russian beauty
reached the third round of the Australian Open where she sadly lost from another
russian, Anastasia Myskina. A few months later Maria was the shining star at
Wimbledon. She shown Serena Williams her Russian power, and won Wimbledon (6-1,
6-4).
Today (09/25/2004) Maria is ranked 9 on the WTA World rankings, and believe me,
within a few years she will be No.1.
