FACTOIDS
Full Name: Maria Sharapova
Nickname: Masha
Birthday: April 19, 1987
Height: 6'2"
Hometown: Nyagan, Russia
Sports: Tennis
BIOGRAPHY
On April 19, 1987, Maria Sharapova was born to parents Yuri and Yelena Sharapova, in western Siberia. When Maria was two years old, her family moved from her birthplace in Nyagan and settled in Sochi—this was yet another move for her parents, who had moved to Ngygen from Belarus the year before Maria was born in order to escape radiation from Chernobyl. Sochi was home to Russian tennis great Yevgeny Kafelnikov at the time—and would soon be the home of another tennis star.
When Sharapova was four years old, she began to develop an interest in tennis; Kafelnikov’s father, who was a friend of the family, gave young Maria one of his son’s old tennis racquets, and she began to fall in love with the game. She was naturally drawn to the fundamentals of tennis even as a child, and possessed a desire to be the best. Every day, she practiced her tennis skills by hitting tennis balls against the side of the house
Two years later, at the age of six, when she was at a tennis clinic, famed tennis player Martina Navratilova saw Maria’s talent, even though she was still very young. She was awed by Maria’s abilities, and knew the young tennis prodigy would go far. Navratilova suggested to Sharapova’s father that she start training at the Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida. Later, the head coach of the Russian Federation suggested the same thing; again proving that Maria had enormous talent and possessed the makings of a star athlete. So, when Sharapova was seven, her father, Yuri, took her to America— neither he nor his daughter spoke English, and had under $1,000 in his pocket for the both of them. The move was a huge risk for the Sharapova family, but Maria’s abilities could not be ignored. Both Sharapova’s parents believed in their daughter’s talent, and their faith paid off.
Because of Maria’s extreme skill in the game of tennis, IMG, a prestigious sports management and modeling company, agreed to sponsor Sharapova, and provided her with the $35,000 it would cost Sharapova to stay at Bollettieri Academy annually. This was a huge relief for the Sharapova family, since the transition from Russia to the United States was indeed a challenging one. Maria’s father began to take odd jobs in order to support the two of them, and she moved into the academy dormitory when she was nine. Sharapova began to learn English quickly there with the help of the three older girls she shared a dormitory room with, and she continued to excel athletically. However, she was still faced with the difficulty of living in America without her mother, Yelena, who was still in Russia due to visa complications.
Two years later, when Sharapova was 11, her mother was permitted to come to America to be reunited with her family. Once her mother arrived, Maria was home-schooled, and would never attend formal schooling again. This was indeed a happy time for the Sharapova family—Yelena, Maria’s mother was finally reunited with her husband and daughter, and Maria was able to spend time with her mother on a daily basis for schooling.
In 2001, Sharapova’s professional tennis career officially began, when she joined the junior circuit. She won twenty-five matches that year, lost only three, and came away with three titles: Sacramento, Hilton Head and Pilsen in the Czech Republic. The following year, she did even better, maintaining her record of only three losses, and claiming twenty-six victories. Once again, she claimed three more titles: Vancouver, Peachtree, and Gunma in Japan. In 2002, she was also permitted to play a number of matches on the professional tour, which was quite an accomplishment for such a young player.
Of these matches, she claimed one victory and two losses, and was ranked 186th on the WTA charts. By 2003, Sharapova was able to play regularly in the ‘big leagues.’ She joined the WTA Tour, astounding everyone with her athletic talent. During that season, she came away with 34 wins and a negligible 11 losses. She also won two professional titles, at Quebec City and the Japan Open, as well as two double titles with fellow player Tamarine Tanasugarn at Luxembourg and the Japan Open. At the end of the season, her ranking had significantly improved: she was now 32nd on the WTA charts, and was working continually to improve her skills.
By 2004, Sharapova was as strong as ever—she wowed Wimbledon audience by defeating champion player Serena Williams. This victory made Sharapova the first Russian to win a Wimbledon singles, and the third youngest women’s champion in the history of the game.
Currently, Sharapova is preparing to graduate from Keystone High, on online high school. In her very rare free time, she enjoys reading, watching movies, and working with IMG models, a company she has been affiliated with since 2003. She is also enjoying very lucrative endorsement deals with Prince, NEC, and Nike, and resides in Bradenton, Florida, where she is coached by her father, Yuri Sharapov and Robert Lansdrop.
