maria sharapova

Sharapova has won two Grand Slam singles titles. She is the reigning U.S. Open champion, having won the 2006 title over Justine Henin-Hardenne. Two years earlier, she won the 2004 Wimbledon Championships, defeating Serena Williams in the final.

Career

In 2004, Sharapova became the third-youngest Wimbledon women's champion (after Lottie Dod and Martina Hingis) and second-youngest in the open era by defeating Ai Sugiyama (5-7, 7-5, 6-1) in the quarterfinals, Lindsay Davenport (2-6, 7-6, 6-1) in the semifinals, and two-time defending champion Serena Williams (6-1, 6-4) in the final. She also became the first Russian to win that tournament. Sharapova ended 2004 with a victory at the season-ending WTA Championships, defeating Williams (4-6, 6-2, 6-4) after coming back from an 0-4 final set deficit.

From June 2004 until her Wimbledon semifinal appearance in 2005, Sharapova won 22 straight matches on grass, including back-to-back Birmingham titles and the Wimbledon crown. Sharapova's success continued after winning Wimbledon, both on the court, making the semifinals of the 2005 Australian Open, holding 3 match points there before falling to Serena Williams 2-6, 7-5, 8-6, and off it, with numerous commercial endorsements.

Defending her Wimbledon title in 2005, Sharapova sailed through to the semifinals without losing a set, but then lost to a rejuvenated Venus Williams (7-6, 6-1). Sharapova's streak on grass was ended, as was her quest to dethrone No. 1 Davenport.

However, a back injury that Davenport sustained in the Wimbledon final meant that she could not defend the ranking points she obtained during the US hard court season of 2004. Sharapova was also suffering from an injury and did not complete a tournament during the season, but she had fewer points to defend and therefore rose to the No. 1 ranking on August 22, 2005. Her reign lasted only a week when Davenport re-ascended after winning the New Haven title. Sharapova rose to the No. 1 ranking again on September 12, 2005, despite losing in the semifinals of the US Open. Sharapova held on to the No. 1 ranking for a further six weeks before relinquishing it again to Davenport following the 2005 Zurich Open.

Sharapova's loss in a semifinal of the 2005 US Open against Kim Clijsters marked the fourth time that season she had lost at a Grand Slam tournament to the eventual champion: Australian Open-SF-Serena Williams, French Open-QF-Justine Henin-Hardenne, Wimbledon-SF-Venus Williams, US Open-SF-Kim Clijsters. That streak was broken in January 2006, when Sharapova lost in an Australian Open semifinal to Henin-Hardenne, who lost in the final to Amélie Mauresmo.

On March 18, 2006, Sharapova, as No. 3 seed, claimed her first title of the year at the Pacific Life Open at Indian Wells (a Tier 1 event), defeating No. 4 seed Elena Dementieva in the final, 6-1 6-2. This was the 11th title of her career. Sharapova and Dementieva were the first Russians to reach the final of that event. Soon after, Sharapova reached the final of the Nasdaq-100 Open, losing to Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4, 6-3.

Sharapova participated at the 2006 French Open having not played any clay court tune-ups. 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 welcomed the onset of the grass season but failed to add a third successive Birmingham title to her collection, losing in the semifinals to American Jamea Jackson.

For the second consecutive year, Sharapova was defeated in the semifinals of Wimbledon, losing to eventual winner Mauresmo 6-3, 3-6, 6-2. Sharapova currently has a 2-5 record in Grand Slam semifinals. Sharapova is currently ranked No. 3 in the world. Sharapova has a combined 3-7 record against the top 2 players in the world (1-3 against Mauresmo and 2-4 against Henin-Hardenne). She is 1-4 against Clijsters, another former world No. 1.

Sharapova claimed her second title of 2006 as the second seed at the Acura Classic in San Diego, defeating top seeded Clijsters, 7-5 7-5. This was Sharapova's first victory over Clijsters in five meetings.

Sharapova entered the 2006 U.S. Open seeded third after Clijsters dropped out of the tournament with a wrist injury. Considered one of the favorites to reach the final, she lived up to expectations defeating Mauresmo, the number one player in the world, in a semifinal 6-0, 4-6, 6-0. Sharapova was victorious in the final, beating Henin-Hardenne 6-4, 6-4 to win her second Grand Slam title, 13th tournament of her career, and third tournament of the year.

It has been announced that Sharapova will play for the Russian Fed Cup team for the first time in 2007. Russia plays Spain in the first round.

Legal action

In July 2006, Maria and her agents sued Byzantium Productions, Inc., a Florida-based production company, accusing them of illegally using her name and image to promote their documentaries. A federal judge ruled in Byzantium's favour on August 3, 2006.^[2].

Awards

2003

• WTA Newcomer of the Year
• Hottest female athlete of the year (Maxim)

2004

• WTA Player of the Year
• WTA Most Improved Player of the Year
• WTA Player Service
• Hottest female athlete of the year (Maxim)

2005

• ESPY Best Female Tennis Player
• Named the country's best female player for the year by Russia's tennis federation
• Awarded the honorary Master of Sports of Russia title.
• Hottest female athlete of the year (Maxim)

2006

• Hottest female athlete of the year (Maxim)

Personal life

Sharapova's parents moved from Gomel, Belarus, to Siberia, Russia, in 1986, after the Chernobyl nuclear accident. She was born in Nyagan, Russia, the following year.

At age 7, Sharapova was brought to the United States by her father to attend the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Her mother followed a few years later.

Sharapova has lived in the United States since she was a child, but retains Russian citizenship.

Sharapova recently purchased a beachfront home in Manhattan Beach, California, a suburb of Los Angeles, but lives most of the year near the IMG training facility in Longboat Key, Florida.

At 19, Sharapova has yet to finish high school.^[3]

Endorsements

• Following her Wimbledon victory in 2004, Sharapova signed a one-year deal with automobile manufacturer, Honda, but the deal was only in Japan.
• Land Rover - In April 2006 Sharapova signed a three-year deal to endorse their vehicles. One source with knowledge of the deal said it was worth approximately $2 million a year. Sharapova gets a free Land Rover Range Rover Sport in Florida and a chauffeured Land Rover Discovery wherever she wants.
• Motorola - a fee, plus a mobile phone and all her mobile phone bills paid, plus a share of the income of downloads from HelloMoto/Maria. Was criticized by some members of the American press for holding a RAZR to her ear at roughly the same time her father was seen talking on a similar phone, as this may have violated the USTA's no sideline-coaching rule.^[4]
• Gatorade - energy drink
• TAG Heuer - In December 2004, she signed a deal with Swiss sports watch TAG Heuer to become their latest "sport and glamour" ambassador.
• Nike Inc. - Sharapova been known to wear somewhat eccentric or revealing outfits from Nike on court, best exemplified by a Breakfast at Tiffany's-inspired dress at the 2006 US Open, which many mocked for its use of sequins and seemingly futuristic neckline. She also has been featured in several Nike marketing campaigns, including one ad in 2006 that had her walking through Arthur Ashe Stadium while everyone around her sings "I Feel Pretty" until she returns a serve with her trademark loud grunt.
• Prince Sports, Inc.
• Canon Inc. - Sharapova promotes both their office and camera products.

Sharapova's endorsments 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 $18 million. [CBS reported in August 2006 that the figure is over $20 Million.] In total she earns over UK£13.4 million per year, over 90 percent of which comes from endorsements. When asked about her income, she said, "It's never enough. Bring on the money. There's no limit to how much you can make." ^[5] In a later interview, she said, "You know, one of the greatest things about being an athlete and, you know, making money is realising that you can help, you know, help the world, and especially children, who I absolutely love working with." ^[6]

Trivia

• In April 2005, she was listed by People Magazine as among the 50 most beautiful celebrities in the world.
• In 2006, Maxim magazine named her the hottest athlete in the world, an award she has won four consecutive years.
• In February 2006, she was featured in a six-page bikini photoshoot spread in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue annual magazine which debuted on Valentine's Day, along with 25 other scantily-clad supermodels. Sharapova joined the ranks of other athletes who have previously appeared in the publication.
• In June 2006, Sharapova appeared in a commercial for ESPN's This is SportsCenter campaign. In the commercial, she is walking past Stuart Scott's desk when he stops her. He offers her a can of tennis balls he received from a supplier. She says that the can is filled with paper "worms" and that she doesn't want it. Scott acts offended, causing Sharapova to feel bad. She obliges to take the can, opens it, and paper worms fly into her face. She angrily walks away and throws the can back at Scott after he asks for it back. This commercial also featured Roger Federer who suffers the same fate before Sharapova. This was Sharapova's second commercial for ESPN. The first one involved anchor John Anderson giving Sharapova a seat, which he was saving for Stuart Scott, even though he declined to give the seat to another anchor. This was an obvious reference to Sharapova's looks, as she is seen as one of the most beautiful athletes in the world.
• Never one to stay quiet on court, perhaps one of the most controversial aspects of Sharapova's game is her trademark on-court "grunting" or "screaming." Quite possibly the loudest female screamer since Monica Seles, a London tabloid is reported to have claimed that "her persistent shrieks topped out at 102 decibels" (as loud as a police siren).^[7] Sharapova claims that this is just part of her game and that only the British press give her a hard time about it. Elena Dementieva, Sharapova's opponent in a 2006 Wimbledon quarterfinal, complained about the distraction it causes.^[8]. Later in US Open, Tatiana Golovin said: "Shrieking is not going to make the tennis ball come to me faster."^[9]
• Says what she enjoys most about being a professional tennis player is the traveling and getting to meet new people and see new cultures.^[10]
• Is good friends with fellow Russian tennis player Maria Kirilenko, despite not getting along with the other female Russian tennis players.^[11]
• Is affectionately called "Masha".^[12]
• Gave the racquet she used in the Wimbledon final to Regis Philbin, when taping Live with Regis and Kelly.
• Sharapova is the only Russian female player with more than one Grand Slam singles title.
• Her favourite fashion designer is Marc Jacobs. She is sometimes seen in Marc Jacobs fashion shows [citation needed]

Quotes

• I believe, at the end of the day, personally, my life is not about a banana. (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).^[13]
• 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^[14].
• 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.^[15]

Grand Slam singles finals

Wins (2)

WTA Tour Championships singles finals

Wins (1)

WTA Tour titles (16)

Singles (13)

Singles finalist (4)

• 2004: Zurich (lost to Alicia Molik 4-6, 6-2, 6-3)
• 2005: Miami (lost to Kim Clijsters 7-5, 6-3)
• 2006: Dubai (lost to Justine Henin-Hardenne 7-5, 6-2)
• 2006: Miami (lost to Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4, 6-3)

Doubles Titles (3)

• 2003: Japan Open (Partner: Tamarine Tanasugarn) 7-6, 6-0
• 2003: Luxembourg (Partner: Tamarine Tanasugarn) 6-1, 6-4
• 2004: Birmingham (Partner: Maria Kirilenko) 6-2, 6-1

Doubles Finalist (1)

• 2004: Memphis (Partner: Vera Zvonareva) 6-4, 7-6

Performance timeline

To prevent confusion and double counting, information in this table is updated only once a tournament or the player's participation in the tournament has concluded. This table is current through the 2006 U.S. Open.

A = did not participate in the tournament

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

¹If ITF women's circuit (Hardcourt: 22-4; Clay: 9-1) participation is included, then her overall win-loss record stands at 221-54.

WTA Tour career earnings

*As of September 11, 2006.

Famous matches

• 2003 Birmingham quarterfinal: defeated Elena Dementieva, 2-6, 7-6(4), 6-2. As a qualifier, Sharapova reached the semifinals, defeating top-seeded Dementieva along the way. Although she lost in a semifinal to Shinobu Asagoe, she began to elicit media attention because of her model looks and her grunts. Fellow players and spectators complained of her boisterous style. ^[16]
• 2004 Wimbledon semifinal: defeated Lindsay Davenport 2-6, 7-6(5), 6-1. The 13th seed Sharapova faced fifth seeded Davenport in a match of youth versus experience. Sharapova was overwhelmed by the veteran in the first set and was trailing 3-1 in the second set before she turned the match around, after a drizzle interrupted it. Although she was three points from defeat in the tiebreak, Sharapova fought back, consolidated her position to take the second set, and cruised through the third. ^[17]
• 2004 Wimbledon final: defeated Serena Williams 6-1, 6-4. Sharapova defeated the two-time defending champion and top seed in one of the most stunning upsets in Wimbledon history.^[18] In doing so, she became the second youngest women's Wimbledon champion in the open era and the first non-American victor since Jana Novotna in 1998.
• 2004 WTA Tour Championships final: defeated Serena Williams, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4. Sharapova became the second player to win the year-end tournament in her debut. Trailing 4-0 in the third set, Sharapova won the next six games after Williams began to struggle with an abdominal muscle strain. Sharapova's tournament run was characterized by controversy. Other Russian players accused Sharapova of receiving coaching during matches. And some criticized her fist-pumping attitude and "Come On!" battlecries in the final as Williams played throughout the second half of the match in pain.
• 2005 Australian Open semifinal: lost to Serena Williams, 2-6, 7-5, 8-6. Continuing a seeming rivalry, Sharapova served for the match during the second and third set, even holding triple match point in the latter. However, Williams came back to take the match and win the tournament. ^[19]
• 2005 Indian Wells semifinal: lost to Davenport 6-0, 6-0. Despite holding a 2-0 head-to-head record, Sharapova, then ranked number three in the world, was dealt her worst defeat. This was the first time that a player in the top three had been double bageled.
• 2005 Wimbledon semifinal: lost to Venus Williams 7-6(2), 6-1. The match featured long rallies, high-intensity groundstrokes just clipping the lines, and dramatic grunts. Williams ended Sharapova's 22-match grass court winning streak. ^{[20] [21]}
• 2006 French Open first round: defeated Mashona Washington 6-2, 5-7, 7-5. Coming off a 1 1/2 month lay-off because of a foot injury, Sharapova won the match after Washington had three match points at 5-3 in the third set. Sharapova won the last five games of the match.
• 2006 French Open fourth round: lost to Dinara Safina 7-5, 2-6, 7-5. Sharapova had a 5-1 lead in the 3rd set but lost 18 of the last 21 points.
• 2006 Wimbledon semifinal: lost to Amelie Mauresmo 6-3, 3-6, 6-2. Sharapova won five consecutive games in the second set, coming from 1-3 down to win it. But Mauresmo broke Sharapova twice in the third set to win the match.
• 2006 U.S. Open semifinal: defeated Mauresmo 6-0, 4-6, 6-0. Sharapova defeated the reigning world number one for the first time in her career, bookending her three-set victory with bagel scores (losing a total of just 17 points in those two sets). It marked the first time in the open era that a U.S. Open women's singles semifinal has been won with double-bagel sets.^{[22] [23]}
• 2006 U.S. Open final: defeated Justine Henin-Hardenne 6-4, 6-4. Coming into her first major final since Wimbledon, Sharapova seemed to be at a disadvantage as Henin-Hardenne had won their last four meetings. However, Sharapova dominated this match, employing an attacking style to claim her second major title.^{[24] [25]}

Notes

References

• "Maria puts world domination on hold". (Nov. 11, 2005). New Straits Times, p. 42.
• "Sharapova makes 'too much noise'" by Piers Newbery, bbc.co.uk, July 4, 2006, retrieved September 5, 2006

External links

• Maria Sharapova Official Site
• Maria Sharapova Photos
• 2006 US Open Final Match Point Video
• WTA Tour profile for Maria Sharapova
• Maria Sharapova at the Internet Movie Database
• Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue: Maria Sharapova
• Video of Masha Sharapova receiving US Open 2006 Trophy