The biography of Maria Sharapova is an example of a successful sports career of a Russian tennis player. She even led the list of the strongest tennis players on the planet, became one of the 10 women in the history of this sport who won all the Grand Slam competitions. In terms of earnings on advertising, she was among the richest athletes.
Childhood and youth
The biography of Maria Sharapova dates back to 1987. The athlete was born in a small town Nyagan. Her parents were from Belarus, but decided to move to Siberia due to the poor environmental situation in Gomel, which developed shortly after the Chernobyl disaster, which was only 100 kilometers from their regional center.
Tennis in the biography of Maria Sharapova appeared when she was four years old. Then her family moved to an even more favorable place - in Sochi. It is interesting that the father of Maria Sharapova, whose name is Yuri Viktorovich, was friendly with Alexander Kafelnikov, who was the father of the famous tennis player Eugene. It was Eugene who handed Sharapova her first racket in her life.
When she was six years old, Sharapova had the luck to play with Martina Navratilova. She arrived in Russia to conduct a master class for beginner tennis players. The talent in the young tennis player was able to consider the famous Bulgarian athlete, so she recommended giving Maria Sharapova tennis. She began studying at the American Tennis Academy, located in Florida.
Father did a lot in the biography of Maria Sharapova, so that she became a famous tennis player. He came to America with his daughter, having only 700 dollars with him. He had to get low-paid jobs to pay for Maria's private lessons until she entered the academy.
In 1995, the first contract was signed in the career of Maria Sharapova. Her studies at the academy began at the age of 9.
Youth debut
In 2000, Sharapova Maria Yuryevna first performed at international competitions for girls under 16 years old. She immediately made her debut with a victory, becoming the best in the junior tournament.
At the age of 14, she performs for the first time in an ITF series tournament, and the next year reaches the finals of the Australian Youth Championship, where she is inferior to the Czech tennis player Barbara Strytsova.
The athlete owes her successful performance to excellent physical data - the growth of Maria Sharapova, her stamina and the desire to win time after time bring her success in the future.
Adult starts
Soon after, Sharapova first participated in the WTA series tournament in Indian Wells. She gets into the main draw, where in the second round he gets to Monica Seles, who at that time is one of the ten strongest athletes in the world. Sharapova expectedly loses in two sets.
The first victory comes at a tournament in Japan in April 2002. In summer, she reaches the final of the junior championship of Great Britain, where she loses again. This time compatriot Vera Dushevina.
The growth of Maria Sharapova for tennis is very solid - 1 meter 88 centimeters, which allows her to significantly exceed the rivals.
Grand slam
At tournaments from the world famous Grand Slam series, Sharapova performs at the very beginning of 2003. She is only 15 years old. At the championship, which takes place in Australia, she passes qualification, but in the first round of the main draw she loses to Klara Koukalova from the Czech Republic.
Further, at the championship in France, the heroine of our article again does not go further than the first round, losing to Magee Serna. After that, she will succeed on the grass. Sharapova defeats the three participants in the tournament in Birmingham, including the first in the tournament, Elena Dementieva, reaches the semifinals. After that, he is among the strongest hundred tennis players in the world.
At Wimbledon, Sharapova is eliminated only in round 4, on the way defeating Elena Dokich - No. 11 in the world ranking of professional tennis players.
First big success
The rating of Maria Sharapova is growing, she already feels confident in the first hundred of the best tennis players in the world. In 2004, the young athlete made a splash by winning the Wimbledon tournament. Becoming the first Russian woman in history to win these competitions.
In the first round, the heroine of our article without any problems takes precedence over Ukrainian Julia Beigelzimer in two games. At the next stage, it turns out to be stronger than the Englishwoman Anne Keotavong, and in the third round, tennis players from Slovakia Daniela Gantuhova. In the fourth round, she confronts the 31st racket of the world, American Amy Frazier. The game is more stubborn than the previous ones, but Sharapova wins again.
In the next round, Japan’s Ai Sugiyama, who was the first to get the upper hand over Sharapova in at least one game, won the final success in the match, again after the Russian woman 2-1 in batches. In the decisive game for reaching the final, Sharapova meets with the then-famous American Lindsay Davenport, who is in the top 5 of world women's tennis. Unable to cope with the starting excitement, inferior in the first game 2: 6, but then wins two games in a row.
In the final, the young Russian woman plays with the leader of the world ranking, another American Serena Williams, gaining a sensational victory. This success allows her to rise to 8th place in the world ranking.
Top Tennis Rating
A landmark event for Maria Sharapova takes place in 2005. At the open championship in distant Australia, she loses in the semifinals, then wins the first category tournament, which takes place in Tokyo, becomes the champion of the competition in Doha.
Having defended the title at the tournament in Birmingham, Maria reaches the semifinals of the Wimbledon tournament. Before heading to the Open Championship in America, Sharapova enters the 1/4 tournament in Los Angeles, after which he misses several starts, and Kim Claysters loses in the semi-finals of the tournament that is part of the Grand Slam series. At the same time, the points earned in the rating allow her to rise to the top of the world ranking of professional tennis players for the first time in her career.
Second victory
In the history of world tennis, Maria Sharapova managed to enter her name forever, having won 5 tournaments from the Grand Slam series. The second success came to her in 2006 at the Open Championship in the very center of Europe, in France. The Russian woman again very confidently starts the tournament, at the very beginning defeating the Dutchwoman Michael Krajicek, then the Frenchwoman Emily Lua, compatriot Elena Likhovtseva, Chinese Li Na.
In the quarterfinals and semifinals, Sharapova has to play with two French women. Both meetings are not easy, but the Russian woman manages to complete them in her favor. Tatyana Golovin and Amelie Moresmo are defeated.
In the final, the heroine of our article meets the second racket of the world Justine Henin-Ardenne from Belgium, winning in a bitter struggle in two games.
The conquest of Australia
In 2008, Sharapova manages to conquer another prestigious tournament - she wins the Open Championship, which takes place in Australia. The distance passes as confidently as possible without losing a single game.
In the first round, Sharapova defeats Croatian Elena Kostanich-Toshich, then defeats long-time rival in the fight for leadership in the world ranking Lindsay Davenport, who by that time manages to drop to 51st place, takes the upper hand over compatriot Elena Vesnina and another Russian woman Elena Dementieva.
In the quarter finals, Sharapova defeats Belgian Enen-Ardenne, the leader of the world ranking, then turns out to be stronger than the Serbian tennis player Elena Yankovic. In the decisive match, she is opposed by another native of Serbia named Ana Ivanovich. Again Sharapova is stronger.
In 2012, Sharapova won the French Open for the second time, winning the Italian Sarah Errani in the final.
The tournament in France is the most convenient for Sharapova. In 2014, she won it for the third time in her brilliant career, this time defeating the Romanian Halep in a decisive match. As a result, only the tennis tournament in America remains for Sharapova an unsubdued peak.
Olympic Games in London
An important stage in Sharapova’s career is the Summer Olympic Games in London, which take place in 2012. The achievements in sports of Maria Sharapova at that time are so impressive that she is considered by experts as one of the main contenders for awards.
Sharapova is the third seeded at the Olympic tournament. In the first round, the Israeli Shahar Peer, who the heroine of our article copes with without any difficulty, gets into her rivals. Then she is waiting for a little-known rival - Englishwoman Laura Robson. Again, the Russian woman does not have serious difficulties, except for the stubborn first party, whose fate is decided on a tie-break.
In the 3rd round Sharapova will meet with German Sabina Lisicki. The first game is again not easy, this time Sharapova even loses it, but still succeeds in breaking the match in her favor - 6: 7, 6: 4, 6: 3.
In the next round, Maria confronts the famous Belgian Kim Kleisters, whom the Russian woman wins.
The semifinal pairs are amazing - they have two Russian women (Sharapova and Kirilenko), as well as Belarusian Victoria Azarenka and tennis player from the USA Serena Williams. Sharapova takes over the compatriot. But she does not succeed in winning the Olympic gold medal; Serena Williams in the finals she is unable to counter practically anything - a deafening defeat, having won only one game in two games. Silver at the London Olympics.
The scandal with meldonium
In 2016, Sharapova was at the center of a doping scandal, although in principle tennis players are not often caught using illegal drugs. In March, a Russian woman convenes an emergency press conference at which she announces that she has been taking the drug Mildronate for 10 years, which contains the substance meldonium, which was banned a little more than 2 months before.
At the tournament in Melbourne, the test of the Russian athlete was positive. Sharapova claims that she took mildronate exclusively for therapeutic purposes, but despite this, in June of that year, the International Tennis Federation decided to disqualify her for two years.
Sharapova appeals, after which the term is reduced to 15 months. After the court already admits that she did not take meldonium intentionally, Sharapova returned to big sport in April 2017.
Tennis Return
The performance of Maria Sharapova at professional level tournaments is resumed from the tournament in Stuttgart. There she is given a wild card. Russian woman reaches the semifinals.
After he goes to two tournaments, which take place on the ground, but gets a hip injury and misses most of the grass season.
In October 2017, she wins her first tournament after being disqualified. This is a competition in Tianjin.
Currently, Sharapova continues to perform at prestigious international tournaments, ranking 42nd in the ranking.
Personal life
The personal life of Maria Sharapova has repeatedly been in the spotlight of the world's leading media. Almost the first time they started talking about her private life when the famous tennis player in 2005 began dating the lead singer of pop-rock band American Adam Levin, who performs in the band Maroon 5. True, their relationship does not last long.
In October 2010, the personal life of Maria Sharapova was again in the spotlight. Her engagement to a basketball player from Slovenia, whose name is Sasha Vuyachich, was officially announced. By then, he was performing in the NBA. Their relationship was longer, they lasted about a year and a half. In late summer 2012, the couple broke up.
Once again, they talked about the upcoming possible wedding of Sharapova in May 2013, when she began to meet with the famous Bulgarian tennis player, whose name is Grigor Dimitrov. But after more than two years, she broke up with this young man.