Maria Sharapova was born on 19 April 1987 to Yelena and Yuri Sharapova in the western Siberian region. Her interests in tennis grew when she was four years old. Kafelnikov’s father supplied old tennis racquets of his son, which helped Sharapova to develop love for the game from the very childhood. Even though she was just a child, she had an inclination towards the fundamentals of tennis. Maria Sharapova practiced tennis by hitting the ball on the walls of her house.
Early Years of Maria Sharapova:
It was at the age of six that Maria Sharapova went to a tennis clinic. Tennis player Martina Navratilova was amazed to see her talent at such a young age. She suggested Sharapova”s father to admit her in Bollettieri Tennis Academy, Florida for training. Russian Federation head coach was also amazed to see Maria”s abilities and suggested the same thing to her parents.
Sharapova received sponsorship worth $35,000 IMG, a sports organization and modeling company. This monetary support came as a huge relief for her parents. Maria Sharapova”s father took up all sorts of jobs to support daily expenses of their living. She began to excel athletically with the training she received from the trained staffs in IMG. Her mother however, could not come down with her due to visa complications.
Maria Sharapova was 11 years old when her mother started living with her in America. Since then she began to be home-schooled and did not attend formal schooling again.
Beginning of Maria Sharapova”s Career:
Official beginning of Maria Sharapova”s tennis career was from 2001. She won 25 matches in the junior circuit. The year 2002 seemed to be even more beneficial for her. She won 26 matches and lost only three of them. She won three more titles: Gunma in Japan, Peachtree, and Vancouver. She also got official permission to participate in matches on professional tour, which was a huge accomplishment in such a young age.
Maria Sharapova held 186th position on WTA charts. Since 2003, she started playing in “big leagues” on a regular basis. Sharapova stunned everyone with her athletic talent in the WTA tour. She won 34 matches and lost 11 of them. Maria Sharapova won professional titles at Japan Open and Quebec City. She also won double titles with Tamarine Tanasugarn at Japan Open and Luxembourg. She went up to the 32nd position in WTA charts by the end of that season.
Maria Sharapova had acquired all the subtle skills by 2004 and she defeated Serena Williams in the Wimbledon. She became the first Russian woman to have won the Wimbledon singles. This victory also earned her the title of third youngest women tennis champion.
Maria Sharapova”s Interest beyond Tennis:
Maria Sharapova has become a brand ambassador for some of the leading names like Nike, NEC, and Prince. She loves reading books, working with the IMG models and watching movies during her free times. Sharapova also plans to complete her graduation from Keystone High.
It was Maria Sharapova”s focused mentality and aggressive approach that she could face even her toughest opponents in the game with ease.