Maria Sharapova

Maria Sharapova was born in Siberia in 1987. At a young age, Maria knew that she was made to play tennis. Her family moved from Siberia to the United States when she was very young. At the age of 4, Maria started playing tennis. For the next 10 years, she perfected her skills in the state of Florida.

Maria formally started her career in the junior circuit at the young age of 14. In 2001, her first year on the junior circuit, She had won 25 of her matches and lost only 3. This was amazing for such a young player. She proved that it was not just beginner's luck in her second year on the circuit. In 2002, Maria won 26 matches and again lost only 3. Maria's talent was so evident that by 2003, she was accepted to play for the WTA professional woman's circuit. She was then able to prove her skills to the world, winning 34 matches and losing 11 during her first year in professional tennis. Maria won 2 professional titles that year, and by the end of the season, she was ranked 32nd in the world.

Maria was given the nickname of the "Siberia Siren" because of the loud grunting noise she would make when she hit the ball. Not only was she on her way to the top in tennis, she was also asked to do commercials and modeling as well. Her adventures into the advertising market paid off for her, and in July of 2008, she became the highest paid female athlete in the world.