Maria Sharapova

Sport: Tennis
Years Active: 2003-Present

Like Kournikova, Sharapova is a Russian-born beauty who plays professional tennis. Unlike Kournikova, though, she has actually been successful on the court. Since making a near-immediate impact when she won Wimbledon in 2004, Sharapova has been fixture atop the WTA rankings for the better part of a decade.
She has made headlines off the court as well, modeling for numerous magazines including the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue and hawking products like Gatorade and Canon cameras. In case you were worried that she was being compensated fairly, from June 2011 to June 2012 she hauled in $27.9 million (according to Forbes), so she's doing just fine.

• NAME: Maria Sharapova
• OCCUPATION: Tennis Player
• BIRTH DATE: April 19, 1987 (Age: 26)
• PLACE OF BIRTH: Nyagan, Russia
• Full Name: Maria Yuryevna Sharapova
• AKA: Maria Sharapova
• ZODIAC SIGN: Aries

Best Known For

Maria Sharapova has won various honors throughout her career, including the 2012 French Open and a silver medal in women's singles at the 2012 Olympics.

Synopsis

Maria Sharapova was born on April 19, 1987, in Nyagan, Russia. She started playing tennis at an early age and turned professional at the age of 14. Sharapova won Wimbledon in 2004 against Serena Williams and has gone on to win the US Open and Australian Open. In 2012, she won the French Open, becoming the 10th woman to complete a career Grand Slam. At the 2012 Summer Olympic Games Sharapova's Olympic debut she won a silver medal in women's singles, losing the gold to American tennis star Serena Williams.

Early Life

Tennis player Maria Sharapova was born on April 19, 1987, in Nyagan, Siberia, Russia. Sharapova began playing tennis as a young child, and at age 9 was taken by her father to Florida, where she enrolled at a tennis academy.

Turning Pro

Sharapova turned professional at 14, claimed her first WTA victory at the 2003 AIG Japan Open and also reached the fourth round at Wimbledon on her first attempt during the same year. Success came in 2004 when she won the singles title there, becoming Russia's first woman Wimbledon champion. At the end of 2004 she added the WTA Championship title to her achievements. She was ranked No. 4 at the start of 2006 and that year won the US Open.

Athletic Accomplishments

In 2007, a shoulder injury sidelined Sharapova and contributed to a series of losses, but she was still ranked among the top 5 women's tennis players at the end of that year. Her shoulder injury continued to plague her game, sidelining her in 2008. In 2009, Sharapova had surgery to repair the injury and after a year of rehabilitation and a string of losses, she started to make a comeback in 2011 when she finished the year ranked 4, her first top 5 finish since 2007. In June 2012, Sharapova defeated Sara Errani in the women's French Open, becoming the 10th woman to complete a career Grand Slam, winning all four major tennis tournaments. At the 2012 Summer Olympic Games—Sharapova's Olympic debut—she won a silver medal in women's singles, losing the gold to American tennis star Serena Williams. Sharapova came in second to Williams the following year at the French Open. She lost the singles titles to Williams in the finals. That June, Sharapova made a less-than-impressive showing at Wimbledon. She only made it as far as the second round of competition.

Personal Life

Off the court, Sharapova's beauty and popular appeal have led to major commercial endorsements with companies including Nike and Tiffany & Co. Sharapova began a relationship with Slovenian professional basketball player Sasha Vujacic in 2009. After a year of dating, the couple announced that they were engaged in October 2010. During a post-match conference at the 2012 U.S. Open, she announced that the engagement was off and that her relationship with Vujacic had ended.