Maria Sharapova, (born April 19, 1987, Nyagan, Russia), Russian tennis player who was one of the game’s leading contenders in the early 21st century, the winner of five Grand Slam titles.
Sharapova began playing tennis as a young child, and in 1993 she caught the attention of Czech-born American tennis star Martina Navratilova. Following a suggestion by Navratilova, Sharapova and her father moved (1994) to Florida, where she quickly earned a scholarship to a tennis academy. In 2001, at the age of 14, she turned pro. At the time, women’s tennis was shifting to a power game, which suited Sharapova’s dominating style of play and her size; she eventually reached a height of 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 metres).
In 2003 she competed in every Grand Slam event, with her best finish coming at Wimbledon, where she reached the fourth round. That year she won her first Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) titles, at Tokyo and Quebec City. In 2004 she defeated Serena Williams in the final at Wimbledon to win her first Grand Slam.
The following year Sharapova was ranked number one for the first time in her career, reaching the semifinals at the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open. In 2006 she won the latter event, and in 2008 she claimed her third Grand Slam, at the Australian Open.
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