Maria Sharapova

Maria Sharapova was born in Nyagan, Russia, in April 19, 1987.  She began playing tennis at age 4.   When she was 7, she moved to Florida and was admitted into the Nick Bollettieri’s Tennis Academy.  At age 14, in 2001, Maria formally started her tennis career on the junior circuit. In her first year she had 25 wins, 3 losses, and three titles.  In 2003 she was the youngest title holder on the WTA Tour.  In 2004, in front of a stunned crowd, Maria beat Serena Williams, making her the first Russian to win a Wimbledon singles title, and the third youngest woman champion in history.

She earned the nickname the Siberian Siren because of her extremely loud grunting when she hits the ball.  During  a Wimbledon game in 2005, her “grunting” was measured, reaching 101 decibels, which is near the volume of a police siren.

In 2005, People Magazine named her one of the 50 most beautiful celebrities in the world. In 2008 she was named the UNDP Goodwill Ambassador and donated $100,000 to the Chernobyl recovery projects.   In 2004 she donated $50,000, to assist those affected by the tragedy of the Beslan School Hostage crisis.  In July 2008, she was named by Forbes Magazine as the world’s highest paid female athlete.

Maria Sharapova  is the former World Number 1 ranked Russian professional tennis player and still retains her Russian Citizenship.  She has a home in California and in 2008 purchased a penthouse in Israel. As of August, 2008, she is ranked Number 6 by the Women’s Tennis Association. Currently she is coached by her father, Yuri Sharapov, and former player Michael Joyce. She plans to retire around age 25.