Maria Sharapova

The US Trends | Maria Sharapova | Maria Sharapova is a Russian pro tennis player and former a world no. 1. A U.S. resident since 1994, Sharapova has won 24 WTA singles titles, including three Grand Slam titles in 2004, 2006 Wimbledon, U.S. Open and 2008 Australian Open. SHe also won the year-end WTA Tour Championships in 2004.

Maria Yuryevna Sharapova was born on April 19, 1987 in Nyagan, Siberia, Russia. Sharapova started playing tennis when she was a girl of nine years and was taken by his father in Florida, where She enrolled in a tennis academy.

Maria Sharapova turned professional when she was 14, claimed her first win in the WTA Tour at AIG Japan Open in 2003, and also in the same year reached the fourth round of Wimbledon on the first attempt. The breakthrough came in 2004 when She won the singles title there, becoming the first Russian woman to win Wimbledon. In 2004 Sharapova added the WTA Championship successes. SHe finished four in early 2006 and that year won the U.S. Open.

The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) has ranked Sharapova world no. 1 in singles on four separate occasions. She became the world no. 1 for the first time on August 22, 2005, and last regained this ranking for the fourth time on May 19, 2008. She is currently ranked world no. 2. She has been in five Grand Slam finals. Her Grand Slam final record is 3–2.

Maria Sharapova made her professional breakthrough in 2004 when, at age 17, she upset two-time defending champion and top seed Serena Williams in the 2004 Wimbledon final for her first Grand Slam singles title. She entered the top 10 of the WTA Rankings with this win. Despite not winning a major in 2005, Sharapova briefly held the no. 1 ranking, and reached three Grand Slam semifinals, losing to the eventual champion each time. She won her second major at the 2006 US Open defeating then-world no. 1 Amélie Mauresmo in the semifinals and world no. 2 Justine Henin in the final. Sharapova's 2007 season was plagued with a chronic shoulder injury and saw her ranking fall out of the top 5 for the first time in two years. She ultimately won her third Grand Slam at the 2008 Australian Open, defeating Henin in the quarterfinals and Ana Ivanović in the final. After reclaiming the no. 1 ranking in May 2008, Sharapova's shoulder problems re-surfaced, ultimately requiring surgery in October and forcing her out of the game for nearly 10 months. Sharapova returned in May 2009 and was ranked no. 126 in the world due to her extensive lay-off. Since her comeback, Sharapova has won five singles titles (bringing her career total to 24) and improved her ranking to the world no. 2.

Public profile of Maria Sharapova extends beyond tennis, as she has appeared in modeling, including features of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Sharapova has appeared in commercials, including Nike, Prince, and the Canon, and is facing a number of fashion houses, especially Cole Haan. Sharapova was the most sought after athlete on Yahoo! in both 2005 and 2008. Since February 2007, Sharapova has been a UNDP Goodwill Ambassador, was specifically aimed at the Chernobyl recovery and developmentProgramme.

In June 2011 Maria Sharapova was named one of "30 legends of women's tennis: Past, Present and Future" by TIME MAGAZINE.

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