- In full:
- Maria Yuryevna Sharapova
- Born:
- April 19, 1987, Nyagan, Russia (age 39)
- Awards And Honors:
- French Open
- Australian Open
- U.S. Open
- Wimbledon Championships
- On the Web:
- WTA - Maria Sharapova (Oct. 24, 2026)
Maria Sharapova
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Who is Maria Sharapova?
Maria Sharapova, born on April 19, 1987, is a Russian tennis player who became a leading competitor in the sport in the early 21st century, winning five Grand Slam titles. At 14, she turned pro, and her powerful playing style suited the shift in women’s tennis. In 2004, she won her first Grand Slam at Wimbledon, defeating Serena Williams. Sharapova was ranked number one in the world in 2005 and later won the U.S. Open in 2006 and the Australian Open in 2008. After a shoulder injury, she returned to form in 2012, winning the French Open and a silver medal at the London Olympic Games. In 2016, she was suspended from tennis for using meldonium and retired in 2020.
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Where was Maria Sharapova born and what country does she represent in tennis?
Maria Sharapova was born in Nyagan, Russia, on April 19, 1987. As a professional tennis player, she represented Russia, achieving the rank of number one in 2005. Throughout her career, Sharapova won five Grand Slam titles, demonstrating her powerful playing style. She retired from tennis in 2020.
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What are some major tournaments that Maria Sharapova has won?
Maria Sharapova, a Russian tennis star, won five Grand Slam titles in her career. In 2003, she competed in every Grand Slam event and won her first Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) titles in Tokyo and Quebec City. In 2004, Sharapova defeated Serena Williams to win her first Grand Slam at Wimbledon. She reached the semifinals at the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open the following year. In 2006, she won the U.S. Open, and in 2008, she won the Australian Open. Sharapova won the French Open in 2012, becoming the seventh female player in the Open era to complete a career Grand Slam. She also won a silver medal at the London Olympic Games that year. In 2014, she won her fifth Grand Slam at the French Open.
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How did Maria Sharapova become a professional tennis player?
Maria Sharapova began playing tennis as a young child. In 1993, she gained the attention of Martina Navratilova, who suggested Sharapova move to Florida to pursue her tennis career. In 1994, Sharapova and her father moved to Florida, where she received a scholarship to a tennis academy. At 14, in 2001, Sharapova became a professional tennis player. Women’s tennis was shifting to a power game, which suited Sharapova’s style and size. In 2003, she competed in every Grand Slam event, with her best finish at Wimbledon, where she reached the fourth round. That year, she also won her first Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) titles, at Tokyo and Quebec City.
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What challenges has Maria Sharapova faced during her tennis career?
Throughout her career, Maria Sharapova faced numerous challenges. In 2008, she was diagnosed with a torn rotator cuff, requiring surgery and sidelining her return to the court until mid-2009.
In March 2016, Sharapova revealed she tested positive for meldonium during the Australian Open. The International Tennis Federation initially suspended her for two years, but it was later reduced to 15 months upon appeal. Although she returned to the WTA tour in April 2017, Sharapova struggled to regain her form and was plagued by injuries, eventually leading to her retirement in 2020.
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What has Maria Sharapova done after retiring from professional tennis?
Following her retirement from professional tennis in 2020, Maria Sharapova has kept busy with various endeavors. After an outstanding tennis career, including winning five Grand Slam titles and achieving the number one ranking, Sharapova has transitioned into the business world and entrepreneurial projects. In 2017, she released her memoir, Unstoppable: My Life So Far, co-written with Rich Cohen.
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Maria Sharapova (born April 19, 1987, Nyagan, Russia) is a Russian tennis player who was one of the game’s leading contenders in the early 21st century, the winner of five Grand Slam titles.
Sharapova began playing tennis as a young child, and in 1993 she caught the attention of Czech-born American tennis star Martina Navratilova. Following a suggestion by Navratilova, Sharapova and her father moved (1994) to Florida, where she quickly earned a scholarship to a tennis academy. In 2001, at the age of 14, she turned pro. At the time, women’s tennis was shifting to a power game, which suited Sharapova’s dominating style of play and her size; she eventually reached a height of 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 metres). In 2003 she competed in every Grand Slam event, with her best finish coming at Wimbledon, where she reached the fourth round. That year she won her first Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) titles, at Tokyo and Quebec City. In 2004 she defeated Serena Williams in the final at Wimbledon to win her first Grand Slam. The following year Sharapova was ranked number one for the first time in her career, reaching the semifinals at the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open. In 2006 she won the latter event, and in 2008 she claimed her third Grand Slam, at the Australian Open.
Later that year, however, Sharapova was diagnosed with a torn rotator cuff, an injury that eventually required surgery. She returned to the court in mid-2009, and over the next two seasons she claimed several WTA titles, though a Grand Slam championship eluded her; Sharapova’s best result occurred in 2011, when she lost the Wimbledon finals. She returned to form in 2012, however, winning the French Open to become just the seventh female player in the Open era to complete a career Grand Slam. That year she also captured a silver medal at the London Olympic Games. After a solid start in 2013—highlighted by an appearance in the French Open final, which she lost to Williams—a shoulder injury forced Sharapova to miss the last six months of the season. She returned to competitive play in 2014, and later that year she won the French Open, her fifth Grand Slam.
In March 2016 Sharapova revealed that she had taken meldonium (marketed as Mildronate)—a heart medication that had recently been added to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s list of banned substances—during the Australian Open earlier in the year. Three months later she was suspended from tennis for two years by the International Tennis Federation for her meldonium-induced failure of a drug test. (Her suspension was reduced to 15 months upon appeal.) Sharapova returned to the WTA tour in April 2017. However, she struggled to regain her form and continued to be plagued by injuries. In 2020 she announced her retirement. Her memoir, Unstoppable: My Life So Far (written with Rich Cohen), was published in 2017.