Maria Sharapova is a Russian former world No. 1 tennis player who had a remarkable career on the WTA Tour from 2001 to 2020.
Sharapova is known for her powerful serve and fierce baseline play, which has helped her achieve great success throughout her career.
Sharapova has reached the pinnacle of her sport, spending 21 weeks ranked as the world’s No. 1 player by the Women’s Tennis Association.
She is one of 10 women in history to complete a career Grand Slam, winning all four major tennis championships – Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open.
File
- Full name: Maria Yuryevna Sharapova
- Stage name: Maria Sharapova
- Date of birth: April 19, 1987
- Age: 37 years old
- Place of birth: Nyagan, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
- Nationality: Russian
- Occupation: Russian tennis player
- Height: 1.88 m
- Parents: Yury Sharapov and Yelena Sharapova
- Siblings: Unknown
- Partner: Alexander Gilkes
- Children: Theodore
- Relationship: Engaged
- Net worth: 220 million USD
Early life and education
Maria Yuryevna Sharapova is a famous Russian former world No. 1 professional tennis player. She was born on April 19, 1987 in Nyagan, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union. Sharapova is the only child of her parents, Yury Sharapov and Yelena Sharapova.
Sharapova’s educational background includes attending Keystone School in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, and then IMG Academy Boarding School in Bradenton, Florida. Her ethnicity is Russian and she is Christian.
Career
Maria Sharapova first gained attention in the tennis world when, in 2000, she won the Eddie Herr International Junior Tennis Tournament in the women’s 16 division at the age of 13. This win earned her the Rising Star award for exceptional promise.
Sharapova began playing a full professional season in 2003 and quickly entered the top 50 by the end of that year. She made her Grand Slam debut at the Australian Open and French Open that year but did not win any matches. However, as a wildcard at Wimbledon, she defeated 11th seed Jelena Dokic to reach the fourth round.
In 2004, Sharapova had a breakthrough year. She reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open, where she held three match points before losing to Serena Williams. She then won back-to-back titles at the Toray Pan Pacific Open and Qatar Total Open, giving her a career-high ranking of No. 3 in the world.
Sharapova continued her strong run in 2005, reaching the final of the Australian Open as the top seed but was defeated by Serena Williams. Over the next few years, she won a total of five Grand Slam singles titles, including Wimbledon in 2004, US Open in 2006, Australian Open and French Open.
After a few injury-plagued seasons, Sharapova returned to the top of her game, winning the French Open in 2012 and 2014. She competed throughout 2019 before retiring in early 2020 at the age of 32, with the ranking career high of No. 1 in the world and over $38 million in prize money earned.
Maria Sharapova began her 2020 season by playing at an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi, where she defeated Ajla Tomljanović in straight sets. However, due to lack of preparation, she was forced to withdraw from the Hawaii Open tournament afterward.
Sharapova then received a spot at the Brisbane International but lost to Jennifer Brady in the opening round in three sets. This marked Sharapova’s third consecutive first-round loss at a Grand Slam and her ranking dropped to No. 369 – her lowest ranking since August 2002.
The loss to Donna Vekic in the opening round of the 2020 Australian Open will be the last match of Sharapova’s illustrious career. On February 26, 2020, Sharapova announced her retirement from professional tennis in an essay published in Vanity Fair and Vogue.
Sharapova achieved great success throughout her career, first becoming world No. 1 on August 22, 2005, at the age of 18. She has won five Grand Slam singles titles – two at the French Open and one at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open.
Sharapova has won 36 titles in her career, including the prestigious year-end championship in 2004. In addition to her achievements on the field, Sharapova is also a prominent figure in the fields of modeling and advertising.
She has appeared in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue and appeared in numerous commercials for brands such as Nike, Prince and Canon. Sharapova has also served as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Program since 2007.
Awards and nominations
Maria Sharapova is a famous Russian tennis player and has achieved many significant successes.
Grand Slam title
- Australian Open: 1 title (2008)
- French Open: 2 titles (2012, 2014)
- Wimbledon: 1 title (2004)
- US Open: 1 title (2006)
Other major achievements
- World No. 1: Achieve the highest ranking in the world
- Year-end championship: Won the 2004 title
- Olympic Silver Medal: Finished second in singles at the 2012 London Olympics
Social Media
- Instagram handle: @mariasharapova
- Facebook manager: Maria Sharapova
- Twitter name: @NewsSharapova
Personal life
Maria Sharapova, the Russian former world No. 1 tennis player, is engaged to Alexander Gilkes. They have been together since 2018 and announced their engagement in 2020.
The couple also has a son Theodore born in 2022.
Before her current relationship, Sharapova was engaged to Slovenian professional basketball player Sasha Vujačić from 2011 to 2012.
They dated since 2009 before ending their engagement and breaking up in 2012. From 2012 to 2015, Sharapova dated Bulgarian tennis player Grigor Dimitrov.
Net worth
Maria Sharapova’s estimated net worth is approximately $220 million. This impressive figure is mainly thanks to her successful tennis career and subsequent business ventures.
She has leveraged her fame to build a brand that includes a candy company, investments in various industries, and endorsements.
