Maria Sharapova

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Maria Yuryevna Sharapova

Nickname(s)	Masha
Country	Russia
Residence	Bradenton, Florida, U.S.
Date of birth	April 19, 1987 (1987-04-19) (age 21)
Place of birth	Nyagan, Soviet Union
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[1]
Weight	59.1 kg (130 lb/9.31 st)[1]
Turned Pro	April 19, 2001
Plays	Right-handed; two-handed backhand
Career Prize Money	US$12,030,153
Singles
Career record:	300-68
Career titles:	19
Highest ranking:	1 (August 22, 2005)
Grand Slam results
Australian Open	W (2008)
French Open	SF (2007)
Wimbledon	W (2004)
US Open	W (2006)
Doubles
Career record:	23-16
Career titles:	3
Highest ranking:	41 (June 14, 2004)
Infobox last updated on: May 19, 2008.

Maria Yuryevna Sharapova (Russian: Мари́я Ю́рьевна Шара́пова listen (help·info)) (born April 19, 1987) is a Russian professional tennis player who is currently ranked World No. 1. At the end of 2006, she was the world's highest-paid female athlete.^[2]

Sharapova has won three Grand Slam singles titles. In 2004, she beat Serena Williams to take the Wimbledon title at the age of 17. Two years later, she defeated Justine Henin in the final of the 2006 U.S. Open. At the 2008 Australian Open, she beat Ana Ivanovic in the final. Sharapova has been ranked in the top 10 since winning Wimbledon, the longest of any current female tennis player.^{[citation needed]}.

Contents 1 Playing style 2 Career 2.1 2001-2003 2.2 2004 2.3 2005 2.4 2006 2.5 2007 2.6 2008 3 Head-to-head records against other top players 4 Personal life 5 Awards 6 Endorsements 6.1 Product endorsement and equipment 7 Activism 8 Quotations 9 Grand Slam singles finals 9.1 Wins (3) 9.2 Runner-up (1) 10 WTA Tour Championships singles finals 10.1 Win (1) 10.2 Runner-up (1) 11 WTA Tour titles (22) 11.1 Singles (19) 11.2 Doubles (3) 12 WTA Tour runner-ups (8) 12.1 Singles (7) 12.2 Doubles (1) 13 ITF titles (4) 13.1 Singles (4) 14 Singles performance timeline 15 WTA Tour career earnings 16 Notable matches 17 References 18 See also 19 External links

[edit] Playing style

Sharapova has been labeled as a power baseliner by tennis critics and fans.^[3] She is noted for having an excellent double-handed backhand and serves, particularly for the power and placement of these shots. She is also noted for having a good forehand. Likewise, critics claim that for her height, Sharapova has decent agility on-court.^[4] Being an offensive player, Sharapova is usually able to overpower her opponents or keep them on the run with sharp angles from the baseline. Because of this aggressive play, she excels on the fast-playing grass and hard courts, but is not as dangerous on clay. This is because she is not among the strongest of defensive players. She can lose precision on her groundstrokes when she is put on the run herself, a weakness that the best all-around players will exploit. Sharapova also is not a traditional volleyer, instead using a powerful "swinging" volley for net approaches.^[5] Sharapova usually serves for placement, but uses enough power on her first and second serve that attacking that stroke is very difficult for her opponents. She has been trying to develop her "all-power" game, while also adding in slice, drop shots and drop volleys.

Because of shoulder injuries, Sharapova adopted a new service action with a shorter backswing after Wimbledon 2007. Her first and second serve became less effective during the majority of the 2007 season. Previously, she had an elongated backswing to generate power on her serve. However, as a trade-off, the swing also placed incredible strain on her shoulder, leading to Sharapova's shoulder injury at the beginning of the 2007 season. With her shoulder injury apparently healed, Sharapova has since returned to her elongated service motion, and her serve has been more effective in 2008.

Sharapova is ambidextrous and played left-handed until she was ten years old, before deciding to play right-handed. Although she almost always employs a right-handed forehand and double-handed backhand, she has one of the most accurate double-handed backhand shots and is known to occasionally hit left-handed shots as a result of her early left-handed training. She has also been criticised for her loud on-court "grunting."^[6]

Sharapova has won every Grand Slam singles title except the French Open. She believes that winning the French Open will be a big challenge^[7] and has described her movement on clay as like a "cow on ice."^[8]

[edit] Career

[edit] 2001-2003

Sharapova turned professional in 2001, although she played a total of just two WTA tournaments in 2001 and 2002 plus six challenger events.

She started playing tour events full-time in 2003. She won three qualifying matches at both the Australian Open and the French Open to reach the main draw, although she lost in the first round in both events. She received a wild card into the main draw at Wimbledon, losing in the fourth round to compatriot Svetlana Kuznetsova 6–1, 2–6, 7–5 after defeating the 21st seed and the 11th seed in the second and third rounds, respectively. Sharapova then lost in the second round of the U.S. Open to Emilie Loit. In October, Sharapova won her first title at the Tier III tournament in Tokyo and then won her second Tier III tournament four weeks later in Quebec City. She finished the year at World No. 32 and was named the WTA Newcomer of the Year.

[edit] 2004

Sharapova started the year by reaching the third round of the Australian Open, where she lost to seventh-seeded Anastasia Myskina 6–4, 1–6, 6–2. The week after the Australian Open, Sharapova lost in the second round of the Tier I Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo to Daniela Hantuchova. She then returned to the United States for three hard court tournaments, reaching the semifinals in Memphis, the fourth round at the Tier I Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, California, and the fourth round of the Tier I Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida.

During the spring clay court season leading up to the French Open, Sharapova lost in the third round at both Berlin and Rome, which were both Tier I events. At the French Open, Sharapova reached the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam singles tournament for the first time in her career, losing to Paola Suárez 6–1, 6–3.

The tour then switched to grass courts in the lead up to Wimbledon. In Birmingham, Sharapova defeated Tatiana Golovin to win the title.

The 17-year-old Sharapova went into Wimbledon as the thirteenth seed. She reached her second consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal, where she defeated Ai Sugiyama 5–7, 7–5, 6–1, and then upset fifth-seeded and former World No. 1 Lindsay Davenport in the semifinals 2–6, 7–6, 6–1. She then faced two-time defending champion Serena Williams in the final, with Williams the heavy favorite. Sharapova, however, caused one of the biggest upsets in Wimbledon history by beating Williams 6–1, 6–4, to become the third-youngest Wimbledon women's champion (after Lottie Dod and Martina Hingis) and second-youngest in the open era. She was the first Russian to win the tournament and was, at the time, the lowest seed to win the women's event. (Venus Williams was seeded lower when she won the tournament subsequently in 2005 and 2007.)

During the North American summer hard court season leading up to the U.S. Open, Sharapova played three tournaments. She lost to Myskina in the quarterfinals of the Tier I tournament in San Diego. She lost to Vera Zvonareva in the third round of the Tier I tournament in Montreal. And she lost in the second round of the tournament in New Haven.

At the U.S. Open, Sharapova lost to French player and two-time Grand Slam champion Mary Pierce in the third round 4–6, 6–2, 6–3. During the tournament, Sharapova and several other Russian women tennis players wore a black ribbon in observance of the tragedy after the Beslan school hostage crisis, which took place only a few days before.^[9]

Sharapova then played three tournaments in Asia. She lost to Svetlana Kuznetsova in the semifinals of the China Open in Beijing. During the next two weeks, Sharapova won the Tier IV tournament in Seoul, South Korea and successfully defended her Tokyo title.

Before returning to the United States, Sharapova reached her first Tier I final in Zurich, losing to Alicia Molik. At the Tier II tournament in Philadelphia, Sharapova reached the semifinals before defaulting her match to Amelie Mauresmo. Sharapova then ended the year by winning the WTA Tour Championships. She defeated an injured Serena Williams in the final after being down 4–0 in the final set. After losing to Sharapova in a semifinal of this event, Myskina said: "He [Sharapova's father] was just yelling and screaming instructions to her and I thought he just might jump right on the court at one point in the match."

Sharapova finished 2004 ranked World No. 4 and was the second-ranked Russian (behind Myskina). She won five titles during the year, trailing only Davenport's seven and equaling Justine Henin's total. Sharapova also topped the prize winnings list for the year.

[edit] 2005

Sharapova started the year by reaching the semifinals of the Australian Open, where she lost to eventual champion Serena Williams 2–6, 7–5, 8–6, despite holding three match points.

In February, Sharapova won her first Tier I event in Tokyo. Three weeks later, she won the tournament in Doha. To complete the spring hard court season, Sharapova reached the semifinals of the Tier I Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, California and the final of the Tier I Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida.

Sharapova participated in two of the clay court tune-ups for the French Open. She lost in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Telecom German Open in Berlin to Justine Henin and the semifinals of the Italian Open in Rome to Patty Schnyder. At the French Open, Sharapova lost in the quarterfinals for the second consecutive year, falling to Henin, the eventual champion.

On grass, Sharapova successfully defended her Birmingham title, defeating Jelena Jankovic in the final to extend her winning streak on grass to 19 matches. She then was unsuccessful in defending her Wimbledon title. She reached the semifinals without losing a set, where she lost to Venus Williams, the eventual champion.

Lindsay Davenport injured her back in the Wimbledon final, preventing her from defending the ranking points she obtained during the U.S. hard-court season of 2004. Sharapova had fewer points to defend and therefore rose to the World No. 1 ranking on August 22, 2005. She was the first Russian woman to hold the position. Her reign lasted only one week, however, as Davenport re-ascended to the top ranking after winning the title in New Haven.

At the U.S. Open, Sharapova lost in the semifinals to eventual champion Kim Clijsters. Sharapova lost to the eventual champion in all four Grand Slam events of 2005. Nevertheless, the points she accumulated at the U.S. Open meant that she once again leapfrogged Davenport to take the World No. 1 ranking on September 12, 2005. She kept that ranking for six weeks before relinquishing it again to Davenport following the Zurich Open.

Sharapova failed to defend her title at the season-ending WTA Tour Championships, losing in the semifinals to eventual champion Amelie Mauresmo.

Sharapova finished the year ranked World No. 4 again and as the top-ranked Russian for the first time. She won three titles during the year and was the only player in 2005 to reach three Grand Slam semifinals.

[edit] 2006

At the Australian Open, Sharapova lost in the semifinals to Justine Henin 4–6, 6–1, 6–4, the only match of the year that Sharapova lost after winning the first set.

Sharapova claimed her first title of 2006 and eleventh of her career at the Tier I Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, California. She defeated fourth-seeded Elena Dementieva in the final 6–1, 6–2.

Sharapova then lost in the final of the Tier I Sony Ericsson Open to Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Sharapova participated at the French Open without having played any of the clay court tune-ups because of injury. After saving three match points in the first round against Mashona Washington, Sharapova was eliminated in the fourth round by Dinara Safina 7–5, 2–6, 7–5, after Sharapova led 5–1 in the third set. Sharapova lost 18 of the match's last 21 points.

Sharapova then started the grass court season but failed to add a third successive Birmingham title to her collection, losing in the semifinals to American Jamea Jackson. At Wimbledon, Sharapova was defeated in the semifinals for the second consecutive year, losing to eventual winner and World No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo 6–3, 3–6, 6–2.

Sharapova claimed her second title of 2006 at the Tier I Acura Classic in San Diego, defeating top-seeded Kim Clijsters 7–5, 7–5. This was Sharapova's first victory over Clijsters in five meetings. She then played in Los Angeles, losing to Dementieva in the semifinals. This was Sharapova's only summer hardcourt loss of the year.

Sharapova was the third-seed at the U.S. Open. She defeated Tatiana Golovin 7–6, 7–6 in the quarterfinals before defeating Mauresmo in a semifinal 6–0, 4–6, 6–0. Sharapova then prevailed over second-ranked Henin in the final 6–4, 6–4 to win her second Grand Slam singles title, having dropped just one set en route and joining the list of eight players who had beaten the top two players in the world to win a Grand Slam singles title.^{[citation needed]}

Sharapova then won two tournaments in consecutive weeks. At the Tier I Zurich Open, Sharapova defeated Daniela Hantuchova in the final. At the Generali Ladies Linz, Sharapova beat fellow Russian and defending champion Nadia Petrova to take her fifth title of 2006 and the 15th title of her career.

Until her loss in the semifinals of the WTA Tour Championships to Henin, Sharapova had won 19 consecutive matches. She finished the year at World No. 2 and, for the second year, as the top Russian player. During the year, she compiled a 59-9 record and won five titles (second only to Henin's six), including three Tier I titles, more than any other player.

[edit] 2007

Sharapova reached the final of the JB Group Classic, an exhibition tournament in Hong Kong, where she was defeated by Kim Clijsters 6–3, 7–6(8).

Sharapova was the top seed at the Australian Open because of World No. 1 Justine Henin's withdrawal. Sharapova defeated the 62nd-ranked Camille Pin in the first round 6–3, 4–6, 9–7 on her fourth match point in air temperatures that exceeded 40 °C (104 °F) and on-court temperatures that exceeded 50 °C (122 °F). In the semifinals, Sharapova defeated fourth-seeded Clijsters to reach her first Australian Open final and gain the opportunity to win the only Grand Slam singles title that a Russian woman had not yet won. However, Serena Williams, ranked World No. 81, overpowered Sharapova 6–1, 6–2 in the final. Reaching the final allowed Sharapova to recapture the World No. 1 ranking.

Partly due to hamstring and shoulder injuries that reduced the effectiveness of her serve, Sharapova did not win any of her next three tournaments. At the Tier I Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, Sharapova retired from her semifinal match with Ana Ivanovic. At the Tier I Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, California, Sharapova lost to Vera Zvonareva in the fourth round 4–6, 7–5, 6–1 after Sharapova lead 5–4 in the second set. This loss resulted in her losing the World No. 1 ranking. In the fourth round of the Tier I Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida, Sharapova lost to Serena Williams for the second consecutive time 6–1, 6–1. In the third round of that tournament, Sharapova had beaten Venus Williams 2–6, 6–2, 7–5.

Injuries forced Sharapova to miss most the clay court season for the second consecutive year. Her only tune-up for the French Open was the Istanbul Cup, where she lost to Frenchwoman Aravane Rezaï in the semifinals 6–2, 6–4. She then reached the semifinals of the French Open for the first time in her career (saving a match point against Patty Schnyder in the fourth round), but fell to Ivanovic 6–2, 6–1.

On grass at the DFS Classic in Birmingham, United Kingdom, Sharapova lost in the final to second seeded Jelena Jankovic 4–6, 6–3, 7–5. At Wimbledon, Sharapova lost to Venus Williams in the fourth round 6–1, 6–3.

Sharapova's first summer hardcourt tournament was the Tier I Acura Classic in San Diego, California, where she was the defending champion. She progressed to the final relatively easily, showing few of the serving problems that had dogged her all year. In the final, she defeated eleventh-seeded Schnyder 6–2, 3–6, 6–0, claiming her first title of the year, fifth Tier I title of her career, and the 16th singles title of her career.

At the East West Bank Classic in Los Angeles, a shin injury caused Sharapova to withdraw from her semifinal match with fellow Russian Nadia Petrova shortly before the match started. Nevertheless, she clinched the US Open Series for the first time.

Seeded second at the 2007 U.S. Open, Sharapova won her first two matches with the loss of only two games but then lost her third round match to 18-year-old Pole Agnieszka Radwańska 6–4, 1–6, 6–2, partly due to poor serving and a host of unforced errors. It was Sharapova's earliest exit at a Grand Slam singles tournament since she lost in the same round at the 2004 U.S. Open.

Sharapova did not play again until the Tier I Kremlin Cup in Moscow in October, where she lost to Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in the second round, 7–6(9), 6–2 (after a first-round bye). The recurring shoulder problem then forced Sharapova to withdraw from events in Zurich and Linz, at both of which she was the defending champion.

Sharapova qualified for the WTA Tour Championships only because Venus Williams withdrew from the tournament. Playing only her second match in two months, Sharapova beat World No. 9 Daniela Hantuchova 6–4, 7–5 in her first round-robin match, before coming from a set down to defeat World No. 2 Svetlana Kuznetsova 5–7, 6–2, 6–2 to ensure a place in the semifinals. In her final round robin match, Sharapova defeated Ivanovic 6–1, 6–2 in just over an hour. As the winner of the Red Group, Sharapova then played the runner-up of the Yellow Group, Anna Chakvetadze, in the semifinals. Sharapova won that match 6–2, 6–2. In the final, Sharapova lost to World No. 1 Henin 5–7, 7–5, 6–3 in a match that lasted 3 hours and 24 minutes. This was the 12th longest tour match during the open era.^{[citation needed]}

Sharapova ended the year as World No. 5 on the official WTA tour rankings, the fourth consecutive year that she finished in the top five. However, for the first time since 2004, she did not finish the year as the top ranked Russian. Kuznetsova, who finished World No. 2, held that honor. Sharapova also won just one title (at San Diego), the first time she had failed to win at least two titles since 2002 (when she played just three WTA matches).

[edit] 2008

After beating Anna Chakvetadze in an exhibition match in Singapore, Sharapova reached the final of the JB Group Classic exhibition tournament in Hong Kong, where she lost to Venus Williams in the final 6–4, 6–3.

Sharapova was the fifth seed at the Australian Open, her lowest seeding at a Grand Slam singles tournament since the 2004 U.S. Open.^{[citation needed]} On the way to the quarterfinals, Sharapova defeated Lindsay Davenport in the second round^[10] and Elena Dementieva in the fourth round. In the quarterfinals, Sharapova defeated World No. 1 Justine Henin 6–4, 6–0,^[11] snapping Henin's 32-match winning streak. Sharapova then reached her second consecutive Australian Open final when she defeated an injured Jelena Jankovic 6–3, 6–1. She defeated Ana Ivanovic 7–5, 6–3 in the final, dropping only 10 service points during the match.^[12] Sharapova now needs just the French Open to complete a career Grand Slam in singles.

After the Australian Open, Sharapova participated for the first time in Fed Cup. In the quarterfinal tie against Israel, Sharapova helped Russia reach the semifinals by winning her singles matches against Tzipora Obziler and Shahar Pe'er.

At the Qatar Total Open in Doha, Sharapova won the singles title by defeating Vera Zvonareva in a three-set final. This was Sharapova's second title of the year, sixth career Tier I singles title, 18th career singles title, and 14th consecutive match win. She has won the Doha singles title both years she has played the event, the first coming in 2005.

At the Tier I Pacific Life Open, Sharapova defeated the defending champion, Daniela Hantuchova, in the quarterfinals 7–6(2), 6–1 before losing in the semifinals to Svetlana Kuznetsova 6–3, 5–7, 6–2. This was Sharapova's first loss of the year after 18 wins. Sharapova then withdrew from the Tier I Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida because of a shoulder injury.

At the Tier II Bausch & Lomb Championships in Amelia Island, Florida, Sharapova was the top seeded player. She defeated Anabel Medina Garrigues in the third round 7–6(3), 5–7, 7–6(1) in 3 hours and 27 minutes. She then defeated 2008 Australian Open women's doubles champion Alona Bondarenko in the quarterfinals 6–7(9), 6–3, 6–2 in 2 hours and 43 minutes. In the semifinals, Sharapova received a walkover to the final after her opponent, Lindsay Davenport, withdrew due to illness. Sharapova then defeated Dominika Cibulkova in her first career clay court final. Immediately after this win, her ranking rose to World No. 4.

At the Tier I Family Circle Cup in Charleston, South Carolina, Sharapova lost to Serena Williams in the quarterfinals 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 after Sharapova had a set point at 5-3 in the first set and served for the set at 5-4. Sharapova claimed the second set but then lost the first five games of the final set. Her ranking rose to World No. 3 as a result of this tournament.

Sharapova was the second-seeded player at the Tier I Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome. She defeated Patty Schnyder in the quarterfinals 6-7(3), 7-5, 6-2 but then did not play her semifinal against Jankovic due to a calf injury. Sharapova nevertheless regained the World No. 1 ranking because of Henin's sudden retirement from professional tennis and request to the Women's Tennis Association that her own ranking be deleted immediately.

Sharapova is the top-seeded player at the French Open and is scheduled to play Russian Evgeniya Rodina in the first round.

[edit] Head-to-head records against other top players

As of May 19, 2008, Sharapova's win-loss record against certain players who have been ranked World No. 5 or higher is as follows: Elena Dementieva 8-2, Daniela Hantuchova 7-1, Anna Chakvetadze 6-0, Lindsay Davenport 5-1, Nadia Petrova 5-1, Jelena Jankovic 4-1, Svetlana Kuznetsova 4-4, Mary Pierce 3-1, Ana Ivanovic 3-2, Venus Williams 3-2, Kim Clijsters 3-4, Justine Henin 3-6, Martina Hingis 2-1, Anastasia Myskina 2-3, Serena Williams 2-5, Jelena Dokic 1-0, Amelie Mauresmo 1-3, and Jennifer Capriati 0-1.^[13]

[edit] Personal life

The Chernobyl nuclear accident in 1986 compelled Sharapova's parents, Yuri and Yelena, ethnic Russians, to move from Gomel, Belarus, to the town of Nyagan in Siberia, Russia to live with Yelena's father.^[14] Maria was born the following year.

Sharapova started playing tennis at the age of four. Her father brought her to the United States when she was seven years old, to attend the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Florida.^[15][16][17] Her mother, Yelena, could not come with them because of visa restrictions, and followed two years later.^[14] Sharapova has lived in the United States since then, but retains her Russian citizenship.^[17] She has a home in Manhattan Beach, California^[18] and in early 2008, purchased a penthouse apartment in Netanya, Israel.^[19]

[edit] Awards

See: WTA 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

[edit] Endorsements

Sharapova's endorsements have earned her considerably more than she has won in tournament play. In June 2005, Forbes magazine listed her as the highest-paid female athlete in the world, with annual earnings of over US$18 million. (CBS, the American television network, reported in August 2006 that the figure is over US$20 million.) The majority is made from endorsements and sponsorships. In a later interview, she said, "You know, one of the greatest things about being an athlete and, you know, making money is realizing that you can help, you know, help the world, and especially children, who I absolutely love working with."^{[citation needed]}

In 2005 during a photo shoot for Canon, a lewd photo was taken of Sharapova without her knowledge by Japanese advertising agency Dentsu. The company currently has a lawsuit related to this incident.^[20]

Sharapova is visible in and outside of the court for her looks. Sharapova posed in a six-page bikini photoshoot spread in the 2006 issue of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, annual magazine that debuted on Valentine's Day, along with 25 scantily-clad supermodels. Sharapova joined the ranks of other athletes who have previously appeared in the publication. In April 2005, Sharapova was listed by People Magazine as among the 50 most beautiful celebrities in the world.

In 2006, Maxim magazine named Sharapova the hottest athlete in the world for the fourth consecutive year.

On January 14, 2008, Sharapova and Sony Ericsson signed a four-year sponsorship agreement,^[21] and Canon U.S.A., Inc., announced an extension of its marketing relationship with Sharapova through 2010.^[22]

In a poll run by Britain's FHM magazine, Sharapova was voted the seventh most eligible bachelorette.^[23] Voting took into consideration both "wealth and looks."

[edit] Product endorsement and equipment

Sharapova's first racquet (before she entered the professional circuit) was given to her by family friend Yevgeny Kafelnikov^[24].

Sharapova used the Prince Tour Diablo for part of 2003 and then used several different Prince racquets until the U.S. Open. She gave the racquet she used in the 2004 Wimbledon final to Regis Philbin when taping Live with Regis and Kelly. Sharapova began using the Prince Shark MP at that tournament and had a major part in the production of the Shark racquet. She then switched to the Prince O3 White racquet in January 2006. She has also designed racquet bags - most notably her Prince Team Sharapova Collection Gold Bags (Said to be for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games), which she debuted at an exhibition event - 2008 JB Group Classic in Hong Kong, which is a warm-up event for the Australian Open.^[25]

She endorses Nike accessories, apparel, and footwear. She is well known for designing her tennis outfits and is known for being voted as the best dressed player of the tournament, her most memorable being her 2006 nighttime US Open dress, inspired by Audrey Hepburn's look from Breakfast at Tiffany's as well as her 2007 US Open night dress which was red and sequined with over 600 Swarovski crystals.^{[citation needed]}

Current Sponsors:

• Canon
• Colgate
• Gatorade
• Land Rover
• Nike, Inc.
• Parlux Fragrances
• Prince Sports - signed a lifetime endorsement in January 2007
• Sony Ericsson
• Tag Heuer
• Tiffany & Co.- two year contract starting May 2008
• Tropicana

[edit] Activism

On February 14, 2007, Sharapova was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and donated US$100,000 to UNDP Chernobyl-recovery projects. She is planning on traveling back to the area after Wimbledon in 2008.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Quotations

• When asked at the press conference after the 2006 U.S. Open final about her father's illegal signaling and feeding her during the match: I believe, at the end of the day, personally, my life is not about a banana.^[26]
• When questioned about her on-court grunting at the 2006 Australian Open: I know this is your job. But take your notepads, take your pencils down, take your grunt-o-meters down, the fashion police, put it all away and just watch the match.^[27]
• Reporter (after Sharapova won her second round at the 2007 French Open): So, how do you feel when you get back on court after not hitting balls, do you actually feel stronger and faster as a result?

Sharapova: No, I feel terrible. I feel like a cow on ice. Especially on clay.^[28]

• I’ve been playing against older and stronger competition my whole life. It has made me a better tennis player and able to play against this kind of level despite their strength and experience.^[29]
• When I was working my way to the top of tennis, I didn't say I was number two, I said I wanted to be number one.^[30]
• A great tennis career is something that a 15-year-old normally doesn’t have. I hope my example helps other teens believe they can accomplish things they never thought possible.^[31]

[edit] Grand Slam singles finals

[edit] Wins (3)

Year	Championship	Opponent in Final	Score in Final
2004	Wimbledon	Serena Williams	6–1, 6–4
2006	U.S. Open	Justine Henin	6–4, 6–4
2008	Australian Open	Ana Ivanovic	7–5, 6–3

[edit] Runner-up (1)

Year	Championship	Opponent in Final	Score in Final
2007	Australian Open	Serena Williams	6–1, 6–2

[edit] WTA Tour Championships singles finals

[edit] Win (1)

Year	Venue	Opponent in Final	Score in Final
2004	Los Angeles	Serena Williams	4–6, 6–2, 6–4

[edit] Runner-up (1)

Year	Venue	Opponent in Final	Score in Final
2007	Madrid	Justine Henin	5–7, 7–5, 6–3

[edit] WTA Tour titles (22)

[edit] Singles (19)

Legend Grand Slam (3) WTA Championships (1) Tier I (6) Tier II (3) Tier III (5) Tier IV (1)

Titles by Surface Hard (14) Grass (3) Clay (1) Carpet (1)

No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Opponent in the final	Score
1.	September 29, 2003	Japan Open Tennis Championships, Tokyo	Hard	Aniko Kapros	2–6, 6–2, 7–6(5)
2.	October 27, 2003	Quebec City, Canada	Hard (i)	Milagros Sequera	6–2 retired
3.	June 7, 2004	Birmingham, United Kingdom	Grass	Tatiana Golovin	4–6, 6–2, 6–1
4.	June 21, 2004	Wimbledon, London	Grass	Serena Williams	6–1, 6–4
5.	September 27, 2004	Seoul, Korea	Hard	Marta Domachowska	6–1, 6–1
6.	October 4, 2004	Japan Open Tennis Championships, Tokyo	Hard	Mashona Washington	6–0, 6–1
7.	November 8, 2004	WTA Championships, Los Angeles	Hard (i)	Serena Williams	4–6, 6–2, 6–4
8.	February 6, 2005	Toray Pan Pacific Open, Tokyo	Carpet (i)	Lindsay Davenport	6–1, 3–6, 7–6(5)
9.	February 21, 2005	Doha, Qatar	Hard	Alicia Molik	4–6, 6–1, 6–4
10.	June 6, 2005	Birmingham, United Kingdom	Grass	Jelena Jankovic	6–2, 4–6, 6–1
11.	March 18, 2006	Indian Wells, California, U.S.	Hard	Elena Dementieva	6–1, 6–2
12.	August 6, 2006	San Diego, U.S.	Hard	Kim Clijsters	7–5, 7–5
13.	September 9, 2006	U.S. Open, New York City	Hard	Justine Henin	6–4, 6–4
14.	October 22, 2006	Zürich, Switzerland	Hard (i)	Daniela Hantuchova	6–1, 4–6, 6–3
15.	October 29, 2006	Linz, Austria	Hard (i)	Nadia Petrova	7–5, 6–2
16.	August 5, 2007	San Diego, U.S.	Hard	Patty Schnyder	6–2, 3–6, 6–0
17.	January 26, 2008	Australian Open, Melbourne	Hard	Ana Ivanovic	7–5, 6–3
18.	February 24, 2008	Doha, Qatar	Hard	Vera Zvonareva	6–1, 2–6, 6–0
19.	April 13, 2008	Amelia Island, U.S.	Clay	Dominika Cibulková	7–6(7), 6–3

[edit] Doubles (3)

No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Partnering	Opponents in the final	Score
1.	September 29, 2003	Tokyo, Japan	Hard	Tamarine Tanasugarn	Ansley Cargill Ashley Harkleroad	7–6(1), 6–0
2.	October 20, 2003	Luxembourg, Luxembourg	Hard	Tamarine Tanasugarn	Elena Tatarkova Marlene Weingartner	6–1, 6–4
3.	June 7, 2004	Birmingham, United Kingdom	Grass	Maria Kirilenko	Lisa McShea Milagros Sequera	6–2, 6–1

[edit] WTA Tour runner-ups (8)

[edit] Singles (7)

Legend

Grand Slam (1)

WTA Championships (1)

Tier I (3)

Tier II (1)

Tier III (1)

Tier IV & V (0)

No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Opponent in the final	Score
1.	October 24, 2004	Zurich, Switzerland	Hard	Alicia Molik	4–6, 6–2, 6–3
2.	March 3, 2005	Miami, U.S.	Hard	Kim Clijsters	6–3, 7–5
3.	February 26, 2006	Dubai, United Arab Emirates	Hard	Justine Henin	7–5, 6–2
4.	March 2, 2006	Miami, U.S.	Hard	Svetlana Kuznetsova	6–4, 6–3
5.	January 29, 2007	Australian Open, Melbourne	Hard	Serena Williams	6–1, 6–2
6.	June 18, 2007	Birmingham, United Kingdom	Grass	Jelena Jankovic	4–6, 6–3, 7–5
7.	November 11, 2007	WTA Tour Championships, Madrid, Spain	Hard	Justine Henin	5–7, 7–5, 6–3

[edit] Doubles (1)

No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Partnering	Opponents in the final	Score
1.	February 16, 2004	Memphis, U.S.	Hard	Vera Zvonareva	Åsa Svensson Meilen Tu	6–4, 7–6(0)

[edit] ITF titles (4)

[edit] Singles (4)

No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Opponent in the final	Score
1.	April 21, 2002	Gunma, Japan	Clay	Aiko Nakamura	6–4, 6–1
2.	August 4, 2002	Vancouver, Canada	Hard	Laura Granville	0–6, 6–3, 6–1
3.	September 15, 2002	Peachtree City, U.S.	Hard	Kelly McCain	6–0, 6–1
4.	May 11, 2003	Sea Island, U.S.	Clay	Christina Wheeler	6–4, 6–3

[edit] Singles performance timeline

To prevent confusion and double counting, information in this table is updated only once a tournament when the player's participation in the tournament has concluded. This table is current through the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome, which ended on May 18, 2008.

Tournament	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	Career SR	Career Win-Loss
Grand Slam Tournaments
Australian Open	A	1R	3R	SF	SF	F	W	1 / 6	28-5
French Open	A	1R	QF	QF	4R	SF		0 / 5	19-5
Wimbledon	A	4R	W	SF	SF	4R		1 / 5	23-4
U.S. Open	A	2R	3R	SF	W	3R		1 / 5	17-4
Grand Slam SR	0 / 0	0 / 4	1 / 4	0 / 4	1 / 4	0 / 4	1 / 1	3 / 21	N/A
Grand Slam Win-Loss	0-0	10-4	15-3	19-4	20-3	16-4	7-0	N/A	87-18
Current WTA Tier I Tournaments
Doha1	Not Tier I or Was Not Held						W	1 / 1	5-0
Indian Wells	2R	1R	4R	SF	W	4R	SF	1 / 7	19-6
Miami	A	1R	4R	F	F	4R	A	0 / 5	14-5
Charleston	A	1R	A	A	A	A	QF	0 / 2	4-2
Berlin	A	A	3R	QF	A	A	A	0 / 2	4-2
Rome	A	A	3R	SF	A	A	SF	0 / 3	8-2
Montréal/Toronto	A	1R	3R	A	A	A		0 / 2	1-2
Tokyo	A	A	2R	W	SF	SF		1 / 4	9-3
Moscow	A	A	A	QF	QF	2R		0 / 3	2-2
Year-End Championship
WTA Tour Championships	A	A	W	SF	SF	F		1 / 4	13-5
Former WTA Tier I Tournaments
Zurich1	A	A	F	A	W	A	-	1 / 2	7-1
San Diego1	-	-	QF	A	W	W	-	2 / 3	12-1
Career Statistics
Tournaments played	2	14	20	15	15	13	6	N/A	85
Finals reached	0	2	6	4	7	4	3	N/A	26
Tournaments Won	0	2	5	3	5	1	3	N/A	19
Hardcourt Win-Loss	1-2	20-8	34-11	29-7	45-5	24-5	18-1	N/A	171-39
Clay Win-Loss	0-0	5-2	8-3	9-3	3-1	7-2	9-1	N/A	41-12
Grass Win-Loss	0-0	9-2	12-0	10-1	8-2	7-2	0-0	N/A	46-7
Carpet Win-Loss	0-0	0-0	1-1	5-1	3-1	2-2	0-0	N/A	11-5
Overall Win-Loss	1-2	34-12	55-15	53-12	59-9	40-11	27-2	N/A	269-632
Win %	33%	74%	79%	82%	87%	78%	93%	N/A	81%
Year End Ranking	186	32	4	4	2	5		N/A	N/A

A = did not participate in the tournament.

SR = the ratio of the number of singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played.

- = tournament was either not held or was not a Tier I event at the time it was held.

¹Doha became a Tier I event in 2008. San Diego and Zurich are no longer Tier I events.

²If ITF women's circuit (Hardcourt: 22-4; Clay: 9-1) participation is included, then her overall win-loss record stands at 300-68.

[edit] WTA Tour career earnings

Year	Majors	WTA wins	Total wins	Earnings ($)	Money list rank
2003	0	2	2	222,005	51
2004	1	4	5	2,506,263	1
2005	0	3	3	1,921,283	5
2006	1	4	5	3,799,501	2
2007	0	1	1	1,758,550	7
2008	1	2	3	1,798,751	(as of May 19, 2008) 1

[edit] Notable matches

2004 Wimbledon final: defeated heavily-favored two-time defending champion Serena Williams 6–1, 6–4 to become the third youngest woman to win the title at the All England Club and the lowest seed (at the time) to do so.

2004 WTA Tour Championships final: defeated Serena Williams 4–6, 6–2, 6–4. Sharapova came back from a 4-0 deficit in the third set and won her first WTA Championships trophy.

2005 Australian Open semifinal: defeated by eventual champion Serena Williams 2–6, 7–5, 8–6. Sharapova led 6–2, 5–4 before Williams rallied to win the second set. In the third set, Sharapova again carved out a lead and even held three match points, but Williams battled back once again to win the match.

2005 U.S. Open semifinal: defeated by eventual champion Kim Clijsters 6–2, 6–7(4), 6–3. Sharapova was down 5–2 in the second set and one game away from defeat but fought back to claim the set. Sharapova wound up saving five match points; however, Clijsters won the match on her sixth match point.

2006 Miami semifinal: defeated Tatiana Golovin 6–3, 6–7(5), 4–3 retired. Sharapova had match points at 6–3, 5–1 but could not convert. The third set was close until Golovin was forced to retire after dramatically twisting her ankle. Some criticized Sharapova for turning her back on Golovin, but a television replay showed Sharapova turning her back before the fall. Sharapova later explained that she thought Golovin had simply cramped. When the Frenchwoman retired and was leaving the court, Sharapova gave her a round of applause along with the crowd to show her appreciation.

2006 San Diego final: defeated Clijsters 7–5, 7–5. This was Sharapova's first victory over the Belgian and her first title in San Diego. After this match, Sharapova lost just two more matches during 2006 and claimed three additional titles, including the U.S. Open.

2006 U.S. Open semifinal: defeated Amelie Mauresmo, the World No. 1, 6–0, 4–6, 6–0. This was the first U.S. Open semifinal with two 6-0 sets.^{[citation needed]}

2006 U.S. Open final: defeated Justine Henin 6–4, 6–4 to win her second Grand Slam title. Sharapova beat Henin for only the second time in her career. This was only the eighth time in history that a player beat the world's top two ranked players in a Grand Slam event.^{[citation needed]}

2007 French Open fourth round: defeated Patty Schnyder 3–6, 6–4, 9–7. Sharapova came into the tournament with an injury and overcame two match points against her during this match.

2007 WTA Tour Championships final: defeated by Henin 5–7, 7–5, 6–3. World No. 1 Henin was the pre-match favorite, but Sharapova took the first set on her eighth set point and at one stage in the second set, was a mere five points from victory. The match lasted 3 hours, 24 minutes, making it the 12th longest women's match in the open era.^{[citation needed]} It was widely agreed as the best women's match of 2007,^{[citation needed]} with some citing it as an all-time classic.^{[citation needed]}

2008 Australian Open quarterfinal: defeated Henin 6–4, 6–0. Henin was the World No. 1, but Sharapova won her third victory in nine meetings with Henin. The win snapped Henin's 32-match winning streak and marked the first time Henin had suffered a "bagel" set since 2002. It also marked the first time since 2005 that Henin had lost in a Grand Slam tournament before the semifinals.

2008 Australian Open Final: defeated Ana Ivanovic to claim her third Grand Slam singles title. This was the first time she was favored in a Grand Slam final, but she still was able to win. This gave her a 3-1 Win/Loss record in Slam Finals and now only Roland Garros stands in her way of completing a career Grand Slam.

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• List of Grand Slam Women's Singles champions

[edit] External links

• Maria Sharapova's Official Site
• Maria Sharapova profile on the WTA Tour's official website
• ITF Profile for Maria Sharapova
• Fed Cup profile for Maria Sharapova
• Sharapova's record versus other players
• Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue: Maria Sharapova
• Maria Sharapova's Myspace page

Sporting positions
Preceded by Lindsay Davenport Lindsay Davenport Justine Henin Justine Henin	World No. 1 August 22, 2005 - August 28, 2005 September 12, 2005 - October 23, 2005 January 29, 2007 - March 18, 2007 May 19, 2008- present	Succeeded by Lindsay Davenport Lindsay Davenport Justine Henin Incumbent
Preceded by Ana Ivanovic	US Open Series Champion 2007	Succeeded by TBA
Awards
Preceded by Svetlana Kuznetsova	WTA Newcomer of the Year 2003	Succeeded by Tatiana Golovin
Preceded by Nadia Petrova	WTA Most Improved Player 2004	Succeeded by Ana Ivanovic
Preceded by Justine Henin	WTA Player of the Year 2004	Succeeded by Kim Clijsters
Preceded by Serena Williams Venus Williams	ESPY Best Female Tennis Player 2005 2007	Succeeded by Venus Williams TBA
Preceded by N/A	ESPY Best International Female Athlete 2007	Succeeded by TBA

Women's Tennis Association | Top ten female tennis players as of May 19, 2008
1. ▲ Maria Sharapova 6. ▲ Anna Chakvetadze 2. ▲ Ana Ivanovic 7. ▬ Elena Dementieva 3. ▲ Jelena Jankovic 8. ▲ Venus Williams 4. ▲ Svetlana Kuznetsova 9. ▲ Marion Bartoli 5. ▲ Serena Williams 10. ▬ Daniela Hantuchova

v • d • e WTA World No. 1s in Women's tennis Tracy Austin · Jennifer Capriati · Kim Clijsters · Lindsay Davenport · Chris Evert · Evonne Goolagong · Steffi Graf · Justine Henin · Martina Hingis · Amélie Mauresmo · Martina Navrátilová · Arantxa Sánchez Vicario · Monica Seles · Maria Sharapova · Serena Williams · Venus Williams

v • d • e Australian Open women's singles champions* * Open Era · (1968) Billie Jean King · (1969–70–71) Margaret Court · (1972) Virginia Wade · (1973) Margaret Court · (1974–75–76) Evonne Goolagong · (1977[Jan]) Kerry Reid · (1977[Dec]) Evonne Goolagong · (1978) Chris O'Neil · (1979) Barbara Jordan · (1980) Hana Mandlíková · (1981) Martina Navrátilová · (1982) Chris Evert-Lloyd · (1983) Martina Navrátilová · (1984) Chris Evert-Lloyd · (1985) Martina Navrátilová · (1987) Hana Mandlíková · (1988–90) Steffi Graf · (1991–93) Monica Seles · (1994) Steffi Graf · (1995) Mary Pierce · (1996) Monica Seles · (1997–99) Martina Hingis · (2000) Lindsay Davenport · (2001–02) Jennifer Capriati · (2003) Serena Williams · (2004) Justine Henin-Hardenne · (2005) Serena Williams · (2006) Amélie Mauresmo · (2007) Serena Williams · (2008) Maria Sharapova

v • d • e Wimbledon women's singles champions* * Open Era · (1968) Billie Jean King · (1969) Ann Haydon-Jones · (1970) Margaret Court · (1971) Evonne Goolagong · (1972–73) Billie Jean King · (1974) Chris Evert · (1975) Billie Jean King · (1976) Chris Evert · (1977) Virginia Wade · (1978–79) Martina Navrátilová · (1980) Evonne Goolagong · (1981) Chris Evert · (1982–83–84–85–86–87) Martina Navrátilová · (1988–89) Steffi Graf · (1990) Martina Navrátilová · (1991–92–93) Steffi Graf · (1994) Conchita Martínez · (1995–96) Steffi Graf · (1997) Martina Hingis · (1998) Jana Novotná · (1999) Lindsay Davenport · (2000–01) Venus Williams · (2002–03) Serena Williams · (2004) Maria Sharapova · (2005) Venus Williams · (2006) Amélie Mauresmo · (2007) Venus Williams

v • d • e US Open women's singles champions* * Open Era · (1968) Virginia Wade · (1969–70) Margaret Court · (1971–72) Billie Jean King · (1973) Margaret Court · (1974) Billie Jean King · (1975–78) Chris Evert · (1979) Tracy Austin · (1980) Chris Evert-Lloyd · (1981) Tracy Austin · (1982) Chris Evert-Lloyd · (1983–84) Martina Navrátilová · (1985) Hana Mandlíková · (1986–87) Martina Navrátilová · (1988–89) Steffi Graf · (1990) Gabriela Sabatini · (1991–92) Monica Seles · (1993) Steffi Graf · (1994) Arantxa Sánchez Vicario · (1995–96) Steffi Graf · (1997) Martina Hingis · (1998) Lindsay Davenport · (1999) Serena Williams · (2000–01) Venus Williams · (2002) Serena Williams · (2003) Justine Henin-Hardenne · (2004) Svetlana Kuznetsova · (2005) Kim Clijsters · (2006) Maria Sharapova · (2007) Justine Henin

v • d • e WTA Tour Championships singles champions* (1972-73, 1975, 1977) Chris Evert • (1974, 1976) Evonne Goolagong • (1978-79, 1981, 1983-86) Martina Navrátilová • (1980) Tracy Austin • (1982) Sylvia Hanika • (1987, 1989, 1993, 1995-96) Steffi Graf • (1988, 1994) Gabriela Sabatini • (1990-92) Monica Seles • (1997) Jana Novotná • (1998, 2000) Martina Hingis • (1999) Lindsay Davenport • (2001) Serena Williams • (2002-03) Kim Clijsters • (2004) Maria Sharapova • (2005) Amélie Mauresmo • (2006-07) Justine Henin(-Hardenne)

Persondata
NAME	Sharapova, Maria Yuryevna
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Шара́пова; Мари́я Ю́рьевна
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Russian tennis player
DATE OF BIRTH	April 19, 1987
PLACE OF BIRTH	Nyagan, Siberia, Russia
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH