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{{Infobox Tennis player
{{Infobox Tennis player
| playername = Maria Sharapova
|playername= Maria Sharapova
| image = [[Image:Maria Sharapova Indian Wells 2006.jpg|250px]]
|image= [[Image:Marija Jurjewna Scharapowa.jpg|200px]]
|country={{flagcountry|Russia}}
| nickname = Masha
|residence= [[Bradenton]], [[Florida]], [[USA]]
| country = {{flagcountry|Russia}}
|datebirth= [[April 19]], [[1987]]
| residence = [[Bradenton]], [[Florida]], [[United States|USA]]
|placebirth= [[Nyagan]], [[Siberia]], [[Russia]]
| datebirth = {{birth date and age|1987|4|19}}
|height= 1.905 m (6 ft 3 in)
| placebirth = [[Nyagan]], [[Siberia]], [[Russia]] ([[Soviet Union]] at birth)
|weight= 59 kg (130 lb)
| height = 6'2 (1.88m)<ref>http://www.mariasharapova.com/defaultflash.sps</ref>
|turnedpro= [[2001]]
| weight = 125 lbs (57kg)
|plays= Right; Two-handed backhand
| turnedpro = 2001
|careerprizemoney= US$7,917,274
| retired = <!-- optional -->
|singlesrecord= 214-54
| plays = Right; Two-handed backhand
|singlestitles= 13
| careerprizemoney = [[United States dollar|US$]]9,113,352
|highestsinglesranking= 1 ([[August 22]], [[2005]])
| singlesrecord = 243-58
|AustralianOpenresult= SF (2005, 2006)
| singlestitles = 15
| highestsinglesranking = 1 ([[August 22]], [[2005]])
|FrenchOpenresult= QF (2004, 2005)
|Wimbledonresult= '''W''' (2004)
| AustralianOpenresult = F (2007)
|USOpenresult= '''W''' (2006)
| FrenchOpenresult = QF (2004, 2005)
|doublesrecord= 23-16
| Wimbledonresult = '''W''' (2004)
|doublestitles= 3
| USOpenresult = '''W''' (2006)
|highestdoublesranking= No. 1
| doublesrecord = 23-16
|updated= [[September 9]], [[2006]]
| doublestitles = 3
| highestdoublesranking = 41 ([[June 14]], [[2004]])
| updated = [[March 17]], [[2007]]
}}
}}
'''Maria Yuryevna Sharapova''' ({{lang-ru|Мари́я Ю́рьевна Шара́пова}} {{Audio|Maria_sharapova.ogg|listen}}) (born [[April 19]], [[1987]]) is a [[Russia|Russian]] professional [[tennis]] player. At the end of 2006, she was the world's highest-paid female athlete.<ref name="highestpaid">{{cite news|url=http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/story?id=2403872&page=1
|title=The Highest Paid Female Athlete On The Planet; Why Sharapova Is So Hot|work=ABC News|first=John|last=Martin|date=[[September 7]], [[2006]]|accessdate=2006-09-07}}</ref>


'''Maria Yuryevna Sharapova''' ({{lang-ru|Мари́я Ю́рьевна Шара́пова}}; ({{Audio|Maria_sharapova.ogg|listen}}) born [[April 19]], [[1987]]) is a former '''[[List of WTA number 1 ranked players|World No. 1]]''' professional [[tennis]] player and the world's highest-paid female athlete.<ref name="highestpaid">{{cite news|url=http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/story?id=2403872&page=1
Sharapova has won two [[Grand Slam (tennis)|Grand Slam]] singles titles. She is the reigning [[U.S. Open (tennis)|U.S. Open]] champion, having defeated [[Justine Henin]] in the final of the [[2006 U.S. Open]]. Two years earlier, she defeated [[Serena Williams]] in the final at [[2004 Wimbledon Championships|Wimbledon]].
|title=The Highest Paid Female Athlete On The Planet; Why Sharapova Is So Hot|work=ABC News|first=John|last=Martin|date=September 7, 2006|accessdate=September 7, 2006}}</ref>


==Personal life==
Sharapova's parents moved from [[Homyel]], [[Belarus]], to [[Siberia]], [[Russia]], in 1986, after the [[Chernobyl accident|Chernobyl nuclear accident]]. She was born the following year in [[Nyagan]], Russia.


Sharapova has acquired two career [[Grand Slam (tennis)|Grand Slam]] titles. She is currently the reigning [[U.S. Open (tennis)|U.S. Open]] champion, winning the [[2006 U.S. Open|2006 title]] over [[Justine Henin-Hardenne]], and, two years prior, the [[2004 Wimbledon Championships|2004]] [[Wimbledon Championships]].
At seven, Sharapova was brought to the [[United States]] by her father, Yuri Sharapov, to attend the [[Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy]] in [[Bradenton, Florida]]. Her mother, Yelena, who could not come with them because of visa restrictions, followed a few years later. Sharapova has lived in the United States since then but retains her Russian citizenship.

In 2002, Sharapova bought a beach home in [[Manhattan Beach, California]],<ref>http://easyreader.hermosawave.net/news2002/storypage.asp?StoryID=20028341&IssuePath=news2006/0202</ref> a suburb of Los Angeles, but lives most of the year near the [[IMG (business)|IMG]] training facility in Bradenton.


==Career==
==Career==
In [[2004]], Sharapova became the third-youngest [[Wimbledon Championships|Wimbledon]] women's champion (after [[Lottie Dod]] and [[Martina Hingis]]) and second-youngest in the [[Tennis Open Era|Open Era]] by defeating [[Lindsay Davenport]] (2-6, 7-6, 6-1) in the quarterfinals, [[Ai Sugiyama]] (5-7, 7-5, 6-1) in the semifinals, and two-time defending champion [[Serena Williams]] (6-1, 6-4). She also became the first Russian to win that tournament. Sharapova followed it up with a victory at the season-ending [[WTA Championships]], defeating Williams (4-6, 6-2, 6-4). In the final set, she came back from a 0-4 deficit.
===2004 and 2005===
In 2004, a year after reaching the fourth round of [[The Championships, Wimbledon|Wimbledon]] as a wild card, Sharapova became the third-youngest Wimbledon women's champion (after [[Lottie Dod]] and [[Martina Hingis]]) and second-youngest in the [[open era]] by defeating [[Ai Sugiyama]] (5-7, 7-5, 6-1) in a quarterfinal, [[Lindsay Davenport]] (2-6, 7-6, 6-1) in a semifinal, and two-time defending champion [[Serena Williams]] (6-1, 6-4) in the final. She also became the first Russian to win that tournament. At the [[U.S. Open (tennis)|U.S. Open]] a few months later, she lost to French player and two-time Grand Slam champion [[Mary Pierce]]. Sharapova ended 2004 with a victory at the season-ending [[WTA Championships]], defeating an injured Serena Williams (4-6, 6-2, 6-4) after coming back from 0-4 in the final set. After losing to Sharapova in a semifinal of this event, [[Anastasia Myskina]] said: "He [Sharapova's father] was just yelling and screaming instructions to her and I thought he just might jump right on the court at one point in the match."


From June 2004 until her Wimbledon semifinal appearance in 2005, Sharapova won 22 straight matches on grass, including consecutive Birmingham titles and the Wimbledon title. She reached the semifinals of the [[2005 Australian Open]], where she held three match points against Serena Williams before losing 2-6, 7-5, 8-6. Off court, she was paid for numerous commercial [[endorsement]]s.
From June [[2004]] until her Wimbledon semi-final appearance in [[2005]], Sharapova had a 22-match winning streak on grass, including back-to-back Birmingham titles and the Wimbledon crown. Sharapova's huge success continued after winning Wimbledon, both on the court, making the semi-finals of the [[2005 Australian Open]], and off it, with numerous [[endorsement]]s following.
[[Image:Maria_Sharapova_Indian_Wells_2005.jpg|thumb|200px|Maria Sharapova at [[Indian Wells Masters|Indian Wells]] in 2005]]
[[Image:Maria_Sharapova_Indian_Wells_2005.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Maria Sharapova at [[Indian Wells Masters|Indian Wells]] in 2005]]


Defending her Wimbledon title in 2005, Sharapova reached the semifinals without losing a set but then fell to a rejuvenated [[Venus Williams]] (7-6, 6-1). Sharapova's streak on grass was ended, as was her quest to dethrone top-ranked Davenport.
Defending her Wimbledon title in [[2005]], Sharapova sailed through to the semi-finals without losing a set, then lost to a rejuvenated [[Venus Williams]] (6-7, 1-6). Sharapova's streak on grass was ended, as was her quest to dethrone No. 1 [[Lindsay Davenport]].


However, Davenport injured her back in the Wimbledon final, preventing her from defending the ranking points she obtained during the U.S. hard-court season of 2004. Sharapova had fewer points to defend and therefore rose to the No. 1 ranking on [[August 22]], [[2005]]. Her reign lasted only one week, however, as Davenport re-ascended to the top ranking after winning the title in New Haven. Sharapova rose to the No. 1 ranking again on [[September 12]], [[2005]], despite losing in the semifinals of the U.S. Open. Sharapova kept the No. 1 ranking for six weeks before relinquishing it again to Davenport following the 2005 [[Zurich Open]].
However, a back injury that Davenport sustained in the Wimbledon final meant that she could not defend the ranking points she obtained during the US hard court season of [[2004]]. Sharapova was also suffering from an injury and did not complete a tournament during the season, but she had fewer points to defend and therefore rose to the No. 1 ranking on [[August 22]], [[2005]]. Her reign lasted only a week when Davenport re-ascended after winning the New Haven title. Sharapova rose to the No. 1 ranking again on [[September 12]], [[2005]] despite losing in the semi-finals of the [[U.S. Open (tennis)|US Open]]. Sharapova would hold on to the No. 1 ranking for a further six weeks before relinquishing it again to Davenport following the 2005 [[Zurich Open]].


Sharapova's loss in a semifinal of the 2005 U.S. Open against [[Kim Clijsters]] marked the fourth time that year she had lost at a [[Grand Slam (tennis)|Grand Slam tournament]] to the eventual champion: [[Australian Open]]-SF-Serena Williams, [[French Open]]-QF-[[Justine Henin]], Wimbledon-SF-Venus Williams, U.S. Open-SF-Clijsters.
Her loss in the semifinal of the [[2005]] US Open against [[Kim Clijsters]] marked the fourth time that season that she lost at a [[Grand Slam (tennis)|Grand Slam tournament]] against the eventual champion: [[Australian Open]]-SF-Serena Williams, [[French Open]]-QF-Justine Henin-Hardenne, Wimbledon-SF-Venus Williams, US Open-SF-Kim Clijsters. That record was broken in January [[2006]], when Sharapova lost in the Australian Open semi-final to [[Justine Henin-Hardenne]]. Henin-Hardenne went on to lose in the final of the [[2006 Australian Open - Women's Singles|Australian Open]] to [[Amélie Mauresmo]].


On March 18, 2006, Sharapova, as No. 3 [[Single-elimination_tournament#Seeding|seed]], claimed her first title of the year at the Pacific Life Open at Indian Wells (a Tier 1 event), defeating No.4 seed [[Elena Dementieva]] in the final, 6-1 6-2. This was the 11th title of her career. Sharapova was the first Russian to reach the final of the Pacific Life Open. As Dementieva reached the final later, surprisingly defeating [[Justine Henin-Hardenne]], this was the first-ever all-Russian final at the event. Soon after, Sharapova reached the final of the [[Miami Masters|Nasdaq-100 Open]] losing to [[Svetlana Kuznetsova]] 4-6, 3-6. She then took 2 months off because of an ankle injury, resulting in her pulling out of events in [[Rome]] and [[Istanbul]].
===2006===
At the [[2006 Australian Open]], Sharapova lost in the semifinals to [[Justine Henin]] 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, the only match of the year that she lost after winning the first set.


Sharapova decided to participate at the [[2006 French Open]] despite having not played any clay court tune-ups. After saving three match points in the first round against [[Mashona Washington]], Sharapova was eliminated in the fourth round by [[Dinara Safina]], blowing a lead of 5-1 in the third set, and losing 18 of the last 21 points to lose 5-7, 6-2, 5-7. She welcomed the onset of the grass season, but failed to add a third successive Birmingham title to her collection, losing in the semi-finals to the inexperienced American player [[Jamea Jackson]].
Sharapova claimed her first title of 2006 and eleventh of her career at the [[Pacific Life Open]] in Indian Wells, California, a Tier 1 event at which she was the third [[Single-elimination tournament#Seeding|seed]]. Sharapova and No. 4 seed [[Elena Dementieva]] became the first Russians to reach the event's final, with Sharapova triumphing 6-1, 6-2. Soon after, Sharapova lost in the final of the [[Miami Masters|Nasdaq-100 Open]] to [[Svetlana Kuznetsova]] 6-4, 6-3.


For the second consecutive year, Sharapova was defeated in the semi-finals of [[The Championships, Wimbledon]], losing to eventual winner [[Amélie Mauresmo]] 6-3, 3-6, 6-2. Sharapova currently has a 2-5 record in Grand Slam semi-finals. Sharapova is currently ranked No. 4 in the world. Sharapova has a combined 4-11 record against the top 3 players in the world (1-3 against Mauresmo, 2-4 against Justine Henin-Hardenne, and 1-4 against Kim Clijsters.
Sharapova participated at the [[2006 French Open]] without having played any of the clay-court tune-ups. After saving three match points in the first round against [[Mashona Washington]], Sharapova was eliminated in the fourth round by [[Dinara Safina]] 7-5, 2-6, 7-5, after Sharapova led 5-1 in the third set. Sharapova lost 18 of the match's last 21 points.


Sharapova claimed her second title of 2006 (12th career title) as the second seed at the [[Acura Classic]] in [[San Diego]], defeating top seed [[Kim Clijsters]], 7-5 7-5 (Her first victory over Clijsters in five meetings).
Sharapova welcomed the onset of the grass season but failed to add a third successive [[DFS Classic|Birmingham]] title to her collection, losing in the semifinals to American [[Jamea Jackson]].


Sharapova entered the 2006 U.S. Open seeded third after Kim Clijsters dropped out of the tournament. Considered a favorite to reach the final and even win the title, she lived up to expectations defeating the number one player in the world, [[Amélie Mauresmo]], in the semi-finals with a score of 6-0, 4-6, 6-0. It was the first time in the Open era, which began in 1968, that a female semifinalist in the US Open lost two sets at [[Tennis_score#Scoring_each_game|love]]. Sharapova was victorious in the final, beating [[Justine Henin-Hardenne]] in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4 to win her second Grand Slam title.
For the second consecutive year, Sharapova was defeated in the semifinals of [[2006 Wimbledon|Wimbledon]], losing to eventual winner [[Amelie Mauresmo]] 6-3, 3-6, 6-2.


==Legal Action==
Sharapova claimed her second title of 2006 as the second seed at the [[Acura Classic]] in [[San Diego]], defeating top-seeded [[Kim Clijsters]] 7-5, 7-5. This was Sharapova's first victory over Clijsters in five meetings.
In July [[2006]], Maria and her agents sued Byzantium Productions, Inc., a [[Florida]]-based production company, accusing them of illegally using her name and image to promote their documentaries. A federal judge ruled in Byzantium's favour on [[August 3]], 2006.<ref>[http://www.mosnews.com/news/2006/08/03/mashalost.shtml Federal judge ruling in Byzantium's favour]</ref>.


==Awards==
Sharapova entered the [[2006 U.S. Open]] seeded third after Clijsters dropped out of the tournament with a wrist injury. Favored to reach the final, she defeated Mauresmo, the top-ranked player in the world, in a semifinal 6-0, 4-6, 6-0. Sharapova then prevailed over Henin in the final 6-4, 6-4 to win her second Grand Slam title.


'''[[2003]]'''
[[Image:Sharapova061021-01.jpg|thumb|Maria Sharapova at the [[Zurich Open]] 2006]]
* WTA Newcomer of the Year

Sharapova won the [[Zurich Open]], defeating [[Daniela Hantuchova]] 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 in the final. Sharapova then won the [[Generali Ladies Linz]], defeating fellow Russian and defending champion [[Nadia Petrova]] 7-5, 6-2, to take her fifth title of 2006 and the 15th title of her career.

Until her loss in the semifinals of the [[WTA Tour Championships]], Sharapova had won 19 consecutive matches. She finished the year with a 59-9 record and won more Tier I titles than any other player.

It has been announced that Sharapova will play for the Russian Fed Cup team for the first time in 2007. <ref>http://sport.guardian.co.uk/breakingnews/feedstory/0,,-6197684,00.html</ref>

===2007===
Sharapova began 2007 by reaching the final of the Watson Water Champions Challenge, an exhibition tournament and warm-up for the [[2007 Australian Open]], where she was defeated by [[Kim Clijsters]] 6-3, 7-6(8).

At the Australian Open, the top-seeded Sharapova defeated the 62nd-ranked [[Camille Pin]] in the first round 6-3, 4-6, 9-7 on her fourth match point. The match was played in air temperatures that exceeded 40 °C (104 °F) and on-court temperatures that exceeded 50 °C (122 °F). In the fourth round, Sharapova defeated compatriot [[Vera Zvonareva]] 7-5, 6-4. In the quarterfinals, Sharapova defeated the twelfth-seeded [[Anna Chakvetadze]] 7-6(5), 7-5. She then defeated fourth-seeded Clijsters 6-4, 6-2 in the semifinals to reach her first Australian Open final and gain the opportunity to win the only [[Grand Slam (tennis)|Grand Slam]] singles title that a Russian woman had not yet won. However, [[Serena Williams]], ranked No. 81 in the world, won easily 6-1, 6-2. Williams was the third-lowest-ranked player in the [[open era]] to win a Grand Slam singles title.

As of [[January 27]], [[2007]]:
* Sharapova has a 3-5 record in Grand Slam semifinals.
* Sharapova has a 3-8 record against the other top players in the world (1-3 against third-ranked [[Amelie Mauresmo]] and 2-5 against second ranked [[Justine Henin]]). Sharapova is 2-3 against Serena Williams and 3-4 against Clijsters, both of whom were formerly top-ranked

==Awards==
[[Image:MariaSharapova.JPG|thumb|Maria Sharapova after winning the [[2006 U.S. Open]] on [[9 September]], [[2006]]]]
;2003
* Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Newcomer of the Year
* Hottest female athlete of the year (Maxim)
* Hottest female athlete of the year (Maxim)
'''2004'''
'''[[2004]]'''
* WTA Player of the Year
* WTA Player of the Year
* WTA Most Improved Player of the Year
* WTA Most Improved Player of the Year
* WTA Player Service
* WTA Player Service
* Hottest female athlete of the year (Maxim)
* Hottest female athlete of the year (Maxim)
;2005
'''[[2005]]'''
* ESPY Best Female Tennis Player
* ESPY Best Female Tennis Player
* Named the country's best female player for the year by Russia's tennis federation
* Named the country's best female player for the year by Russia's tennis federation
* Master of Sports of Russia
* Awarded the honorary Master of Sports of Russia title.
* Hottest female athlete of the year (Maxim)
* Hottest female athlete of the year (Maxim)
'''[[2006]]'''
* Prix de Citron Roland Garros
*Hottest female athlete of the year (Maxim)
;2006
* Hottest female athlete of the year (Maxim)
* Named the country's best female player for the year by Russia's tennis federation


==Personal Life==
== Endorsements and media publicity ==
Sharapova's parents are originally from [[Gomel]], [[Belarus]], and moved to [[Siberia]], [[Russia]] in [[1986]], after the [[Chernobyl accident|Chernobyl nuclear accident]]. She was born in [[Nyagan]], Russia, the following year.
*[[Honda]] - Following her [[The Championships, Wimbledon|Wimbledon]] victory in 2004, Sharapova signed a one-year deal with automobile manufacturer, but the deal was only in [[Japan]].
*[[Land Rover]] - In April 2006, Sharapova signed a three-year deal to endorse their vehicles. One source with knowledge of the deal said it was worth approximately U.S. $2 million per year. Sharapova gets a free [[Land Rover Range Rover Sport]] in Florida and a chauffeured [[Land Rover Discovery]] wherever she wants.
*[[Motorola]] - a fee, plus a mobile phone and all her mobile phone bills paid, plus a share of the income of downloads from [http://direct.motorola.com/hellomoto/sharapova HelloMoto/Maria]. She was criticized at the U.S. Open by some members of the American press for holding a [[RAZR]] to her ear at roughly the same time her father was seen talking on a similar phone, as this may have violated the [[United States Tennis Association|United States Tennis Association's]] no sideline-coaching rule.<ref>[http://www.deadspin.com/sports/tennis/stableford--sharapova-fingered-in-bananagate-199605.php Sharapova Fingered in Bananagate]</ref>
*[[Gatorade]] - energy drink
*[[Tropicana Products|Tropicana]] - orange juice
*[[TAG Heuer]] - In December 2004, she signed a deal with [[Swiss]] sports watch [[TAG Heuer]] to become their latest "sport and glamour" ambassador.
*[[Nike Inc.]] - Sharapova has been known to wear somewhat eccentric or revealing outfits from Nike on court, best exemplified by a ''[[Breakfast at Tiffany's]]''-inspired dress at the 2006 U.S. Open, which many admired for its use of sequins and futuristic neckline. She also has been featured in several Nike marketing campaigns, including one advertisement in 2006 that has her walking and riding through the streets of New York City and [[Arthur Ashe Stadium]] while everyone around her sings "[[I Feel Pretty]]" until she returns a serve with her trademark loud grunt.
*[[Prince Sports, Inc.]] - Sharapova has committed to a "lifetime" of sponsoring the only tennis racket brand she's used as a pro. The endorsement deal will last until the end of her playing career and beyond.
*[[Canon Inc.]] - Sharapova promotes both their office and camera products.


At age 9, Sharapova, accompanied by her father, moved to the United States to attend the [[Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy]] in [[Bradenton, Florida]]. Her mother followed a few years later.
Sharapova's endorsements have earned her considerably more than she has won in tournament play. In June 2005, Forbes magazine listed her as the highest-paid female athlete in the world, with annual earnings of U.S. $18 million. ([[CBS]], the American television network, reported in August 2006 that the figure is over U.S. $20 million.) In total, she earns over [[Pound sterling|UK£]]13.4 million per year, over 90 percent of which comes from endorsements. When asked about her income, she said, "It's never enough. Bring on the money. There's no limit to how much you can make."<ref>[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/sport/2006/08/16/stshar16.xml]</ref> In a later interview, she said, "You know, one of the greatest things about being an athlete and, you know, making money is realising that you can help, you know, help the world, and especially children, who I absolutely love working with."<ref>[http://www.usopen.org/en_US/news/interviews/2006-09-03/200609041157400920359.html]</ref>


Sharapova now lives in the [[United States]], but retains [[Russia]]n citizenship.
Sharapova is visible in and outside of the court for her looks. Sharapova posed in a six-page [[bikini]] photoshoot spread in the 2006 issue of the ''[[Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue]]'', annual magazine that debuted on [[Valentine's Day]], along with 25 scantily-clad [[supermodels]]. Sharapova joined the ranks of other athletes who have previously appeared in the publication. In April 2005, Sharapova was listed by ''[[People Magazine]]'' as among the 50 most beautiful celebrities in the world. In 2006, ''[[Maxim magazine]]'' named Sharapova the hottest athlete in the world for the fourth consecutive year.


Maria has been rumored to be dating fellow tour player [[Andy Roddick]], though Roddick asserts that the two are just friends.<ref>[http://www.askmen.com/toys/entertainment_150/153b_gossip.html roddick serving sharapova]</ref><ref>[http://www.hollywood.com/news/detail/id/3550133 Roddick Denies Sharapova Romance]</ref><ref>[http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/chi-0608280127aug28,1,6457877.story http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/chi-0608280127aug28,1,6457877.story A match made in]</ref>Roddick and Sharapova have been referred to as "Rodapova" by Page Six of the ''[[New York Post]]''<ref>[http://www.nypost.com/seven/08312006/sports/rodapova_roll_past_opponents_sports_brian_lewis.htm "Rodapova" roll past opponents]</ref><ref>[http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/chi-0608280127aug28,1,6457877.story http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/chi-0608280127aug28,1,6457877.story A match made in]</ref>
In a poll run by Britain's [[FHM]] magazine, Sharapova was voted the seventh most eligible bachelorette.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/story/0,23663,21300664-10388,00.html| work = NEWS.COM.AU | title = Rod's daughter most eligible | date = February 28, 2007| accessdate = 2007-02-28 }}</ref> Voting took into consideration both "wealth and looks."


Sharapova recently purchased a beach-front home in [[Manhattan Beach, California]], a suburb of Los Angeles.
==Racquet==
[[Image:Maria Sharapova 2007 Australian Open R2.jpg|thumb|Sharapova during her second-round match at the [[2007 Australian Open]].]]
Sharapova's first [[racquet]] (before she entered the professional circuit) was one given to her by a family friend.


Sharapova used the Prince Tour Diablo for part of 2003 and then used several different Prince racquets until the 2004 [[U.S. Open (tennis)|U.S. Open]]. Sharapova began using the Prince Shark MP at that tournament and had a major part in the production of the Shark racquet. She then switched to the Prince O3 White racquet in January 2006, and this is currently the racquet that Sharapova uses.


==Controversies==
== Endorsements ==
Sharapova has been criticised by many for what seems to be sideline-coaching from her father during matches. At the [[2006 U.S. Open]] she was observed receiving coaching gestures from her father and another coach. At the [[2004]] [[WTA Tour Championships]] Yuri Sharapov, Maria Sharapova's father, <!--NOTE!!! "Sharapov" is correctly spelled here. Russian surnames take masculine and feminine endings; the masculine form is "Sharapov".--> was warned by the chair umpire for coaching during his daughter's win over [[Anastasia Myskina]]. <ref>http://www.antara.co.id/en/seenws/?id=26510</ref>


* Following her Wimbledon victory in 2004, Sharapova signed a one-year deal with Car company, [[Honda]], but the deal was only in [[Japan]].
At the [[2006 Australian Open]], Yuri Sharapov was accused of yelling out to distract [[Justine Henin]] during his daughter's losing semifinal appearance. He yelled "VAMOS" in the middle of a rally and when Henin looked in his direction, he twirled around, looking behind him and pretending that the yelling was done by someone else. The following year, Sharapova was one of four women and three men to be warned and fined for receiving sideline coaching at the event. Sharapova denied having received any coaching, but [[Tony Roche]] said the cheating was obvious and supervisors needed to improve surveillance of the stands. <ref>http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,21113427-12428,00.html</ref>
*
*[[Land Rover]] - In [[April]] [[2006]] Sharapova signed a three-year deal to endorse their vehicles; one source with knowledge of the deal said was worth approximately $2 million a year. Sharapova gets a free [[Land Rover Range Rover Sport]] in Florida, and a chauffeured [[Land Rover Discovery]] where ever she wants.
*[[Motorola]] - a fee, plus a mobile phone and all her mobile phone bills paid, plus a share of the income of downloads from [http://direct.motorola.com/hellomoto/sharapova HelloMoto/Maria]. Was criticized by some members of the American press for holding a [[RAZR]] to her ear at roughly the same time her father was seen talking on a similar phone, as this may have violated the [[USTA]]'s no sideline-coaching rule.<ref>[http://www.deadspin.com/sports/tennis/stableford--sharapova-fingered-in-bananagate-199605.php Sharapova Fingered in Bananagate]</ref>
*[[Gatorade]] - energy drink
*[[TAG Heuer]] - In [[December]] 2004, she signed a deal with [[Swiss]] sports watch [[TAG Heuer]] to become their la test "sport and glamour" ambassador.
*[[Nike Inc.]]: Sharapova been known to wear somewhat eccentric/revealing outfits from Nike on court, best exemplified by a ''[[Breakfast at Tiffany's]]''-inspired dress at the 2006 US Open, which many mocked for its use of sequins. She also has been featured in several Nike marketing campaigns, including one ad in 2006 that had her walking through [[Arthur Ashe Stadium]] while everyone around her sings "[[I Feel Pretty]]" until she returns a serve with her trademark grunt.
*[[Prince Sports, Inc.]]
*[[Canon Inc.]]: Maria promotes both their office and camera products, following in the footsteps of former tennis star Andre Agassi.


Maria's endorsments have earned her considerably more than she has won in tournament play. In June 2005, Forbes magazine listed Sharapova as the highest-paid female athlete in the world, with annual earnings of $18 million. [CBS reported in August 2006 that the figure is over $20 Million.] In total she earns over £ 13.4 million ([[GBP]]) per year, over 90 percent of which comes from endorsements. When asked about her income, said, "It's never enough. Bring on the money. There's no limit to how much you can make." [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/sport/2006/08/16/stshar16.xml]
Sharapova has been accused of using her trademark "Sharapova Shriek" to distract opponents. [[John Newcombe]] has said, "It's actually what I consider legalised cheating because one of the great senses that you have on a tennis court is your ability to hear the ball come off your opponent's strings." <ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/4641818.stm</ref>


== Trivia ==
At the [[2007 Australian Open]], Sharapov was fined $2,000 for sideline-coaching. He made many obvious gestures and hand movements, which were allegedly to advise Sharapova of which shots to play against opponent [[Anna Chakvetadze]]. <ref>http://www.torontodailynews.com/index.php/SportsNews/2007012606maria-sharapova</ref>


* Also in December 2004, Sharapova donated $10,000 to victims of [[earthquake]] and killer [[tsunamis]] in [[Thailand]].<ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,142881,00.html Tennis Star to Give $10,000 in Tsunami Aid]</ref>
Sharapova used profanity against the umpire during the first round of the [[2007 Australian Open]]. A replay on a service was called, as Sharapova's opponent [[Camille Pin]], had a ball drop from her skirt pocket. It was this call that caused her to miss a forehand volley. Sharapova argued with the umpire, beginning with "Are you fucking kidding me?" This was not censored during the live broadcast.{{Fact|date=February 2007}}
* In [[January]] [[2005]] she donated proceeds of an auction for the [[Porsche]] car she won at the season-ending WTA Tour Championships of more than $50,000 to victims of the school siege in [[Beslan]], Russia.
* In [[April]] 2005, she was listed by ''[[People Magazine]]'' as among the 50 most beautiful celebrities in the world.
*In [[2006]], ''[[Maxim magazine]]'' named her the hottest athlete in the world, an award she has won 4 consecutive years.
*In [[February]] [[2006]], she was featured in a six-page [[bikini]] photoshoot spread in the ''[[Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue]]'' annual magazine which debuted on [[Valentine's Day]], along with 25 other scantily-clad [[supermodels]]. Sharapova joined the ranks of other athletes who have previously appeared in the publication.


* In [[June]] [[2006]], Sharapova appeared in a commercial for [[ESPN]]'s ''[[This is SportsCenter]]'' campaign. In the commercial, she is walking past [[Stuart Scott]]'s desk when he stops her. He offers her a can of tennis balls he received from a supplier. She says that the can is filled with paper "worms" and that she doesn't want it. Scott acts offended, causing Sharapova to feel bad. She obliges to take the can, opens it, and paper worms fly into her face. She angrily walks away and throws the can back at Scott after he asks for it back. This commercial also featured [[Roger Federer]] who suffers the same fate before Sharapova. This was Sharapova's second commercial for ESPN, the first one, in which anchor John Anderson gives Sharapova a seat, which he was saving for Stuart Scott, even though he declined to give the seat to another anchor. This was an obvious reference to Sharapova's looks, as she is seen as one of the most beautiful athletes in the world.
==Activism==
* Never one to stay quiet on court, perhaps one of the most unusual aspects of Sharapova's game is her trademark on-court "grunting", or "screaming". Quite possibly the loudest female screamer since [[Monica Seles]], a London tabloid is reported to have claimed that "her persistent shrieks topped out at 102 decibels"<ref>[http://www.i-sportsbook.com/tennis/upsets-abound-on-womens-side-at-wimbledon.html Sharapova's decibel levels.]</ref> (as loud as a police siren). Sharapova claims that this is just part of her game and that only the British press give her a hard time about it. [[Elena Dementieva]], Sharapova's opponent in the Wimbledon 2006 quarter-final, complained about the distraction it causes.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/5147790.stm Sharapova makes 'too much noise']</ref>. Later in US open, Tatiana Golovin said: "Shrieking is not going to make the tennis ball come to me faster".[http://www.forbes.com/business/manufacturing/feeds/ap/2006/09/07/ap2998729.html]
On [[February 14]], [[2007]], Sharapova was appointed a [[Goodwill Ambassador]] for the [[UNDP|United Nations Development Programme]] (UNDP) and donated [[United States dollar|US$]]100,000 to UNDP Chernobyl-recovery projects.<ref>http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/february-2007/maria-sharapova-20070214.en</ref>
* Says what she enjoys most about being a professional tennis player is the traveling/getting to meet new people and see new cultures. <ref>[http://www.wtatour.com/newsroom/?ContentID=102 WTA tour news comment:] ''enjoys traveling/ getting to meet new people''.</ref>
* Is good friends with fellow Russian tennis player [[Maria Kirilenko]], despite not getting along with many of the other female Russian tennis players. <ref>[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2005/01/15/sports1229EST0324.DTL&type=printable Good friend of a fellow Russian tennis player]</ref>
* Is affectionately called "Masha".<ref>[http://www.womencelebs.com/c95/showcelebrity_categoryid-9561.html Biography]</ref>
* Is [[Cross-dominance|ambidextrous]], and was undecided about which hand to use dominantly up until her professional tennis career began. <ref>[http://www.recipeland.com:8080/facts/index.php/Ambidextrous Ambidextrous]</ref>
[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/sport/2006/08/16/stshar16.xml]
* Gave the racquet she used in the Wimbledon final to [[Regis Philbin]], when taping [[Live with Regis and Kelly]]
* Maria is the only Russian female player with more than one Grand Slam singles title
* This is Maria's 2nd Grand Slam win after winning Wimbledon in 2004 and her 13th tournament win and her 3rd tournament win this year. Maria is #3 in the rankings with 3125 points.


==Trivia==
== Quotes ==
*I believe, at the end of the day, personally, my life is not about a banana. (when asked at the press conference after the 2006 U.S. open final about her father's signaling and feeding her during the match).
* Sharapova strictly adheres to a pre-service routine or ritual. While standing near the baseline, she hops while hitting the ball downwards with her racquet four times, tucks her hair behind both her ears, and then gently drops the ball on the ground twice.
* A controversial aspect of Sharapova's game is her on-court "grunting" or "screaming." She may be the loudest woman in tennis since [[Monica Seles]]. Sharapova claims that this is just part of her game and that only the British press give her a hard time about it. [[Elena Dementieva]] complained about the distraction during a [[2006 Wimbledon]] quarterfinal.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/5147790.stm Sharapova makes 'too much noise']</ref> Later in the [[U.S. Open (tennis)|U.S. Open]], [[Tatiana Golovin]] said: "Shrieking is not going to make the tennis ball come to me faster."<ref>[http://www.forbes.com/business/manufacturing/feeds/ap/2006/09/07/ap2998729.html]</ref>
* Sharapova is good friends with fellow Russian tennis player [[Maria Kirilenko]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://english.pravda.ru/main/18/90/361/16286_Sharapova.html|title=Maria Sharapova unwilling to trade her Russian citizenship for anything - Pravda.Ru|accessdate=2007-01-18}}</ref>
* Sharapova's friends and family often call her [[Names in Russian Empire, Soviet Union and CIS countries#Diminutive forms|Masha]], the diminutive form of Maria in Russian.<ref>[http://www.womencelebs.com/c95/showcelebrity_categoryid-9561.html Biography]</ref> <ref>[http://biography.sharapovamasha.com/ Biography]</ref>
* Sharapova gave the racquet she used in the [[2004 Wimbledon]] final to [[Regis Philbin]] when taping ''[[Live with Regis and Kelly]]''.
* Sharapova has held the "Hottest Female Athlete of the Year" award from [[Maxim Magazine]] for four consecutive years.
* Sharapova's favourite designer is [[Marc Jacobs]]. She is sometimes seen at his fashion shows.<ref>http://www.imdb.com/gallery/granitz/5175/MariaShara_Kambo_10311816_400.jpg.html</ref>
* Sharapova is [[ambidextrous]]. She was originally going to play with her left hand, but decided to use her right. She sometimes hits left-handed forehands in matches.

== Quotations ==
* '''Announcer''': And I'm sure you have a few words to say (after presenting the 2007 Australian Open runner-up trophy to her)
'''Maria Sharapova''': A few more than the games I won today.
* 'You mean my speech was better than my game today?' (at the press conference after losing the Australian Open's final)
* 'I look forward to playing her many more times - and winning a few, I hope.' (after a defeat by Serena Williams in the 2007 Australian Open)
* 'I believe, at the end of the day, personally, my life is not about a banana.' (when asked at the press conference after the 2006 U.S. open final about her father's illegal signaling and feeding her during the match).
* 'I’ve been playing against older and stronger competition my whole life. It has made me a better tennis player and able to play against this kind of level despite their strength and experience.'<ref>[http://en.thinkexist.com/quotes/maria_sharapova/ Maria Sharapova quotes]</ref>
* 'When I was working my way to the top of tennis, I didn't say I was number two, I said I wanted to be number one.'<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/5333274.stm Sharapova proves her worth]</ref>
* 'I am both an athlete and a businesswoman.'


==Grand Slam singles finals==
==Grand Slam singles finals==
Line 168: Line 130:
|width="100"|'''Score in Final
|width="100"|'''Score in Final
|-bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
|-bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
| [[2004]] ||[[The Championships, Wimbledon|Wimbledon]] || {{flagicon|United States}} [[Serena Williams]] || 6-1, 6-4
|2004 ||[[The Championships, Wimbledon|Wimbledon]] || {{flagicon|USA}} [[Serena Williams]]|| 6-1, 6-4

|-bgcolor="#FFFFCC"
|-bgcolor="#FFFFCC"
| [[2006]] ||[[U.S. Open (tennis)|U.S. Open]] ||{{flagicon|BEL}} [[Justine Henin]] || 6-4, 6-4
|2006 ||[[U.S. Open (tennis)|U.S. Open]] ||[[Image:Flag of Belgium (civil).svg|25px]] [[Justine Henin-Hardenne]]|| 6-4, 6-4
|}

===Runner-up (1)===
{|
|-
|width="75"|'''Year
|width="175"|'''Championship
|width="175"|'''Opponent in Final
|width="100"|'''Score in Final
|-bgcolor="#CCCCFF"
| [[2007]] || [[Australian Open]] ||{{flagicon|USA}} [[Serena Williams]] || 6-1, 6-2
|}
|}


Line 193: Line 145:
|width="100"|'''Score in Final
|width="100"|'''Score in Final
|-
|-
|-bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
|-
|[[2004]] ||[[WTA Tour Championships|Los Angeles]] || {{flagicon|United States}} [[Serena Williams ]]|| 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
|[[2004]] ||[[WTA Tour Championships|Los Angeles]] || {{flagicon|USA}} [[Serena Williams]]|| 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
|}
|}


==WTA Tour titles (16)==

===Singles (13)===

==WTA Tour titles (18)==
===Singles (15)===
{| width=43%
{| width=43%
| valign=top width=33% align=left |
| valign=top width=33% align=left |
Line 211: Line 161:
| WTA Championships (1)
| WTA Championships (1)
|- bgcolor="#dfe2e9"
|- bgcolor="#dfe2e9"
| Tier I Event (4)
| Tier I Event (3)
|- bgcolor="#ffffff"
|- bgcolor="#ffffff"
| WTA Tour (8)
| WTA Tour (7)
|}
|}
| valign=top width=33% align=left |
| valign=top width=33% align=left |
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
|- bgcolor="#eeeeee"
|- bgcolor="#eeeeee"
|'''WTA Tour Titles by Surface'''
|'''Titles by Surface'''
|-
|-
| Hard (11)
| Hard (9)
|-
|-
| Clay (0)
| Clay (0)
Line 240: Line 190:
|-
|-
| 1.
| 1.
| [[September 29]], [[2003]]
| [[29 September]], [[2003]]
| [[Tokyo]], [[Japan]]
| [[Tokyo]], [[Japan]]
| Hard
| Hard
| {{flagicon|Hungary}} [[Aniko Kapros]]
| {{flagicon|Hungary}} [[Aniko Kapros]]
| 2-6, 6-2, 7-6(5)
| 2-6 6-2 7-6<sup>5</sup>
|-
|-
| 2.
| 2.
| [[October 27]], [[2003]]
| Oct 27, 2003
| [[Quebec City]], [[Canada]]
| [[Quebec City]], [[Canada]]
| Hard
| Hard
Line 254: Line 204:
|-
|-
| 3.
| 3.
| [[June 7]], [[2004]]
| Jun 7, 2004
| [[Birmingham]], [[United Kingdom]]
| [[Birmingham]], [[Great Britain]]
| Grass
| Grass
| {{flagicon|France}} [[Tatiana Golovin]]
| {{flagicon|France}} [[Tatiana Golovin]]
| 4-6, 6-2, 6-1
| 4-6 6-2 6-1
|-
|-
| bgcolor="e5d1cb"|4.
| bgcolor="e5d1cb"|4.
| bgcolor="e5d1cb"|[[June 21]], [[2004]]
| bgcolor="e5d1cb"|Jun 21, 2004
| bgcolor="e5d1cb"|[[The Championships, Wimbledon|Wimbledon]], [[London]], [[United Kingdom]]
| bgcolor="e5d1cb"|[[The Championships, Wimbledon|Wimbledon]], [[London]], [[Great Britain]]
| bgcolor="e5d1cb"|Grass
| bgcolor="e5d1cb"|Grass
| bgcolor="e5d1cb"|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Serena Williams]]
| bgcolor="e5d1cb"|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Serena Williams]]
| bgcolor="e5d1cb"|6-1, 6-4
| bgcolor="e5d1cb"|6-1 6-4
|-
|-
| 5.
| 5.
| [[September 27]], [[2004]]
| Sep 27, 2004
| [[Seoul]], [[South Korea]]
| [[Seoul]], [[South Korea]]
| Hard
| Hard
| {{flagicon|Poland}} [[Marta Domachowska]]
| {{flagicon|Poland}} [[Marta Domachowska]]
| 6-1, 6-1
| 6-1 6-1
|-
|-
| 6.
| 6.
| [[October 4]], [[2004]]
| Oct 4, 2004
| Tokyo, Japan
| [[Tokyo]], [[Japan]]
| Hard
| Hard
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Mashona Washington]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Mashona Washington]]
| 6-0, 6-1
| 6-0 6-1
|-
|-
| bgcolor="ffffcc"|7.
| bgcolor="ffffcc"|7.
| bgcolor="ffffcc"|[[November 8]], [[2004]]
| bgcolor="ffffcc"|Nov 8, 2004
| bgcolor="ffffcc"|[[WTA Tour Championships|WTA Championships]], [[Los Angeles]], [[USA]]
| bgcolor="ffffcc"|[[WTA Tour Championships|WTA Championships]], [[Los Angeles]], [[USA]]
| bgcolor="ffffcc"|Hard
| bgcolor="ffffcc"|Hard
| bgcolor="ffffcc"|{{flagicon|USA}} Serena Williams
| bgcolor="ffffcc"|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Serena Williams]]
| bgcolor="ffffcc"|4-6, 6-2, 6-4
| bgcolor="ffffcc"|4-6, 6-2, 6-4
|-
|-
| bgcolor="#dfe2e9"|8.
| bgcolor="#dfe2e9"|8.
| bgcolor="#dfe2e9"|[[February 6]], [[2005]]
| bgcolor="#dfe2e9"|Feb 6, 2005
| bgcolor="#dfe2e9"|[[Tokyo]] (Pan Pacific), Japan
| bgcolor="#dfe2e9"|[[Tokyo]], [[Japan]]
| bgcolor="#dfe2e9"|Carpet
| bgcolor="#dfe2e9"|Carpet
| bgcolor="#dfe2e9"|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Lindsay Davenport]]
| bgcolor="#dfe2e9"|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Lindsay Davenport]]
| bgcolor="#dfe2e9"|6-1, 3-6, 7-6(5)
| bgcolor="#dfe2e9"|6-1 3-6 7-6<sup>5</sup>
|-
|-
| 9.
| 9.
| [[February 21]], [[2005]]
| Feb 21, 2005
| [[Doha]], [[Qatar]]
| [[Doha]], [[Qatar]]
| Hard
| Hard
| {{flagicon|Australia}} [[Alicia Molik]]
| {{flagicon|Australia}} [[Alicia Molik]]
| 4-6, 6-1, 6-4
| 4-6 6-1 6-4
|-
|-
| 10.
| 10.
| [[June 6]], [[2005]]
| Jun 6, 2005
| Birmingham, United Kingdom
| [[Birmingham]], [[Great Britain]]
| Grass
| Grass
| {{flagicon|SCG}} [[Jelena Janković]]
| {{flagicon|SER}} [[Jelena Jankovic]]
| 6-2, 4-6, 6-1
| 6-2 4-6 6-1
|-
|-
| bgcolor="#dfe2e9"|11.
| bgcolor="#dfe2e9"|11.
| bgcolor="#dfe2e9"|[[March 18]], [[2006]]
| bgcolor="#dfe2e9"|Mar 18, 2006
| bgcolor="#dfe2e9"|[[Indian Wells]], USA
| bgcolor="#dfe2e9"|[[Indian Wells]], [[USA]]
| bgcolor="#dfe2e9"|Hard
| bgcolor="#dfe2e9"|Hard
| bgcolor="#dfe2e9"|{{flagicon|Russia}} [[Elena Dementieva]]
| bgcolor="#dfe2e9"|{{flagicon|Russia}} [[Elena Dementieva]]
| bgcolor="#dfe2e9"|6-1, 6-2
| bgcolor="#dfe2e9"|6-1 6-2
|-
|-
| bgcolor="#dfe2e9"|12.
| bgcolor="#dfe2e9"|12.
| bgcolor="#dfe2e9"|[[August 6]], [[2006]]
| bgcolor="#dfe2e9"|Aug 6, 2006
| bgcolor="#dfe2e9"|[[San Diego]], USA
| bgcolor="#dfe2e9"|[[San Diego]], [[USA]]
| bgcolor="#dfe2e9"|Hard
| bgcolor="#dfe2e9"|Hard
| bgcolor="#dfe2e9"|[[image:Flag of Belgium (civil).svg|22px|Belgium]] [[Kim Clijsters]]
| bgcolor="#dfe2e9"|[[image:Flag of Belgium (civil).svg|22px|Belgium]] [[Kim Clijsters]]
| bgcolor="#dfe2e9"|7-5, 7-5
| bgcolor="#dfe2e9"|7-5 7-5
|-
|-
| bgcolor="e5d1cb"|13.
| bgcolor="e5d1cb"|13.
| bgcolor="e5d1cb"|[[September 9]], [[2006]]
| bgcolor="e5d1cb"|Sept. 9, 2006
| bgcolor="e5d1cb"|[[U.S. Open (tennis)|U.S. Open]], [[New York City|New York]], USA
| bgcolor="e5d1cb"|[[U.S. Open (tennis)|U.S. Open]], [[New York City]], [[USA]]
| bgcolor="e5d1cb"|Hard
| bgcolor="e5d1cb"|Hard
| bgcolor="e5d1cb"|[[image:Flag of Belgium (civil).svg|22px|Belgium]] [[Justine Henin]]
| bgcolor="e5d1cb"|[[image:Flag of Belgium (civil).svg|22px|Belgium]] [[Justine Henin-Hardenne]]
| bgcolor="e5d1cb"|6-4, 6-4
| bgcolor="e5d1cb"|6-4 6-4
|-
|bgcolor="#dfe2e9"|14.
| bgcolor="#dfe2e9"|[[October 22]], [[2006]]
| bgcolor="#dfe2e9"|[[Zurich]], Switzerland
| bgcolor="#dfe2e9"|Hard
| bgcolor="#dfe2e9"|{{flagicon|SVK}} [[Daniela Hantuchova]]
| bgcolor="#dfe2e9"|6-1, 4-6, 6-3
|-
| 15.
| [[October 29]], [[2006]]
| [[Linz]], [[Austria]]
| Hard
| {{flagicon|RUS}} [[Nadia Petrova]]
| 7-5, 6-2
|-
|}
|}


===Doubles (3)===
===Singles finalist (4)===
*[[2003]]: Japan Open (Partner: [[Tamarine Tanasugarn]]) 7-6, 6-0
*[[2004]]: [[Zurich Open|Zurich]] (lost to Alicia Molik)
*[[2005]]: [[Miami Masters|Miami]] (lost to Kim Clijsters)
*[[2003]]: Luxembourg (Partner: Tamarine Tanasugarn) 6-1, 6-4
*[[2006]]: Dubai (lost to Justine Henin-Hardenne)
*[[2004]]: Birmingham (Partner: [[Maria Kirilenko]]) 6-2, 6-1
*2006: [[Miami Masters|Miami]] (lost to Svetlana Kuznetsova)


==WTA Tour runner-ups (6)==
===Doubles Titles (3)===
*[[2003]]: Japan Open (Partner: [[Tamarine Tanasugarn]]) 7-6, 6-0.
*[[2003]]: Luxembourg (Partner: Tamarine Tanasugarn) 6-1, 6-4.
*[[2004]]: Birmingham (Partner: [[Maria Kirilenko]]) 6-2, 6-1.


===Singles (5)===
===Doubles Finalist (1)===
*[[2004]]: Memphis (Partner: [[Vera Zvonareva]]) 4-6, 6-7
{| class="wikitable"
|- bgcolor="#eeeeee"
|'''No.'''
|'''Date'''
|'''Tournament'''
|'''Surface'''
|'''Opponent in the final'''
|'''Score'''
|-
| 1.
| [[2004]]
| [[Zurich Open|Zurich]], [[Switzerland]]
| Carpet
| {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Alicia Molik]]
| 4-6, 6-2, 6-3
|-
| 2.
| [[2005]]
| [[Miami Masters|Miami]], [[Florida]]
| Hard
| {{flagicon|BEL}} [[Kim Clijsters]]
| 6-3, 7-5
|-
| 3.
| [[2006]]
| [[Dubai Tennis Championships|Dubai]], [[United Arab Emirates]]
| Hard
| {{flagicon|BEL}} [[Justine Henin]]
| 7-5, 6-2
|-
| 4.
| [[2006]]
| [[Miami Masters|Miami]], [[Florida]]
| Hard
| {{flagicon|RUS}} [[Svetlana Kuznetsova]]
| 6-4, 6-3
|-
| 5.
| [[2007]]
| [[Australian Open]]
| Hard
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Serena Williams]]
| 6-1, 6-2
|}

===Doubles (1)===
*[[2004]]: Memphis (Partner: [[Vera Zvonareva]]) 6-4, 7-6

==ITF titles (4)==
===Singles (4)===
{| class="wikitable"
|- bgcolor="#eeeeee"
|'''ITF Titles by Surface'''
|-
| Hard (2)
|-
| Clay (2)
|-
| Grass (0)
|-
| Carpet (0)
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|- bgcolor="#eeeeee"
|'''No.'''
|'''Date'''
|'''Tournament'''
|'''Surface'''
|'''Opponent in the final'''
|'''Score'''
|-
| 1.
| [[April 21]], [[2002]]
| [[Gunma]], [[Japan]]
| Clay
| {{flagicon|JPN}} [[Aiko Nakamura]]
| 6-4, 6-1
|-
| 2.
| [[August 4]], [[2002]]
| [[Vancouver]], [[Canada]]
| Hard
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Laura Granville]]
| 0-6, 6-3, 6-1
|-
| 3.
| [[September 15]], [[2002]]
| [[Peachtree City]], [[USA]]
| Hard
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Kelly McCain]]
| 6-0, 6-1
|-
| 4.
| [[May 11]], [[2003]]
| [[Sea Island]], [[USA]]
| Green Clay
| {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Christina Wheeler]]
| 6-4, 6-3
|-
|}


==Singles performance timeline==
===Performance timeline===
''To prevent confusion and double counting, information in this table is updated only once a tournament or the player's participation in the tournament has concluded. This table is current through the [[Pacific Life Open]] in [[Indian Wells, California]], which ended on [[March 18]], [[2007]].''
''To prevent confusion and double counting, information in this table is updated only once a tournament or the player's participation in the tournament has concluded. This table is current through the 2006 U.S. Open.''
<!--if you can't understand the italicized note, it just means WAIT till she exits in the tournament, either with a win or a loss so an editor can do it in just one go. and in updating numbers, include the update of tournaments played, finals reached and won, surface win-loss, overall win-loss, and these numbers in the career column, as well as the win-loss in the footnote. -->
<!--if you can't understand the italicized note, it just means WAIT till she exits in the tournament, either with a win or a loss so an editor can do it in just one go. and in updating numbers, include the update of tournaments played, finals reached and won, surface win-loss, overall win-loss, and these numbers in the career column, as well as the win-loss in the footnote. -->
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
|- bgcolor="#efefef"
|- bgcolor="#efefef"
! Tournament !! [[2002]] !! [[2003]] !! [[2004]] !! [[2005]] !! [[2006]] !! [[2007]] !! Career SR !! Career Win-Loss
! Tournament !! [[2002]] !! [[2003]] !! [[2004]] !! [[2005]] !! [[2006]] !! Career SR !! Career Win-Loss
|-
|-
|style="background:#EFEFEF;"|[[Australian Open]]
|style="background:#EFEFEF;"|[[Australian Open]]
Line 469: Line 308:
|align="center" style="background:yellow;"|SF
|align="center" style="background:yellow;"|SF
|align="center" style="background:yellow;"|SF
|align="center" style="background:yellow;"|SF
|align="center" style="background:#D8BFD8;"|F
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|'''0 / 4'''
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|'''0 / 5'''
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|12-4
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|18-5
|-
|-
|style="background:#EFEFEF;"|[[French Open]]
|style="background:#EFEFEF;"|[[French Open]]
Line 479: Line 317:
|align="center" style="background:#ffebcd;"|QF
|align="center" style="background:#ffebcd;"|QF
|align="center" style="background:#afeeee;"|4R
|align="center" style="background:#afeeee;"|4R
|
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|'''0 / 4'''
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|'''0 / 4'''
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|11-4
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|11-4
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|align="center" style="background:yellow;"|SF
|align="center" style="background:yellow;"|SF
|align="center" style="background:yellow;"|SF
|align="center" style="background:yellow;"|SF
|
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|'''1 / 4'''
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|'''1 / 4'''
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|20-3
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|20-3
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|align="center" style="background:yellow;"|SF
|align="center" style="background:yellow;"|SF
|align="center" style="background:#00ff00;"|'''W'''
|align="center" style="background:#00ff00;"|'''W'''
|
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|'''1 / 4'''
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|'''1 / 4'''
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|15-3
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|15-3
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|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|0 / 4
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|0 / 4
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|1 / 4
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|1 / 4
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|0 / 1
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|2 / 16
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|2 / 17
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|N/A
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|N/A
|- bgcolor="#efefef"
|- bgcolor="#efefef"
|'''Grand Slam Win-Loss'''
|Grand Slam Win-Loss
|align="center" |0-0
|align="center" |0-0
|align="center" |4-4
|align="center" |4-4
Line 519: Line 353:
|align="center" |19-4
|align="center" |19-4
|align="center" |20-3
|align="center" |20-3
|align="center" |6-1
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|N/A
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|N/A
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|'''64-15'''
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|'''58-14'''
|-
|-
|style="background:#EFEFEF;"|[[Toray Pan Pacific Open|Tokyo]]
|style="background:#EFEFEF;"|[[Toray Pan Pacific Open|Tokyo]]
Line 529: Line 362:
|align="center" style="background:#00ff00;"|'''W'''
|align="center" style="background:#00ff00;"|'''W'''
|align="center" style="background:yellow;"|SF
|align="center" style="background:yellow;"|SF
|align="center" style="background:yellow;"|SF
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|'''1 / 3'''
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|'''1 / 4'''
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|7-2
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|9-3
|-
|-
|style="background:#EFEFEF;"|[[Indian Wells Masters|Indian Wells]]
|style="background:#EFEFEF;"|[[Indian Wells Masters|Indian Wells]]
Line 539: Line 371:
|align="center" style="background:yellow;"|SF
|align="center" style="background:yellow;"|SF
|align="center" style="background:#00ff00;"|'''W'''
|align="center" style="background:#00ff00;"|'''W'''
|align="center" style="background:#afeeee;"|4R
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|'''1 / 5'''
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|'''1 / 6'''
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|13-4
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|15-5
|-
|-
|style="background:#EFEFEF;"|[[Miami Masters|Miami]]
|style="background:#EFEFEF;"|[[Miami Masters|Miami]]
Line 549: Line 380:
|align="center" style="background:#D8BFD8;"|F
|align="center" style="background:#D8BFD8;"|F
|align="center" style="background:#D8BFD8;"|F
|align="center" style="background:#D8BFD8;"|F
|
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|'''0 / 4'''
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|'''0 / 4'''
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|12-4
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|12-4
Line 559: Line 389:
|align="center" |A
|align="center" |A
|align="center" |A
|align="center" |A
|
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|'''0 / 1'''
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|'''0 / 1'''
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|0-1
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|0-1
Line 569: Line 398:
|align="center" style="background:#ffebcd;"|QF
|align="center" style="background:#ffebcd;"|QF
|align="center" |A
|align="center" |A
|
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|'''0 / 2'''
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|'''0 / 2'''
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|4-2
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|4-2
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|align="center" style="background:yellow;"|SF
|align="center" style="background:yellow;"|SF
|align="center" |A
|align="center" |A
|
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|'''0 / 2'''
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|'''0 / 2'''
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|5-2
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|5-2
Line 589: Line 416:
|align="center" |A
|align="center" |A
|align="center" style="background:#00ff00;"|'''W'''
|align="center" style="background:#00ff00;"|'''W'''
|
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|'''1 / 2'''
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|'''1 / 2'''
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|7-1
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|7-1
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|align="center" |A
|align="center" |A
|align="center" |A
|align="center" |A
|
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|'''0 / 2'''
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|'''0 / 2'''
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|1-2
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|1-2
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|align="center" |A
|align="center" |A
|align="center" style="background:#ffebcd;"|QF
|align="center" style="background:#ffebcd;"|QF
|align="center" style="background:#ffebcd;"|QF
|align="center" |
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|'''0 / 1'''
|
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|'''0 / 2'''
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|1-1
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|2-1
|-
|-
|style="background:#EFEFEF;"|[[Zurich Open|Zurich]]
|style="background:#EFEFEF;"|[[Zurich Open|Zurich]]
Line 618: Line 442:
|align="center" style="background:#D8BFD8;"|F
|align="center" style="background:#D8BFD8;"|F
|align="center" |A
|align="center" |A
|align="center" style="background:#00ff00;"|'''W'''
|align="center" |
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|'''0 / 1'''
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|3-1
|
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|'''1 / 2'''
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|7-1
|-
|-
|style="background:#EFEFEF;"|[[WTA Tour Championships]]
|style="background:#EFEFEF;"|[[WTA Tour Championships]]
Line 628: Line 451:
|align="center" style="background:#00ff00;"|'''W'''
|align="center" style="background:#00ff00;"|'''W'''
|align="center" style="background:yellow;"|SF
|align="center" style="background:yellow;"|SF
|align="center" style="background:yellow;"|SF
|align="center" |
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|'''1 / 2'''
|
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|'''1 / 3'''
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|6-3
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;"|6-3
|- bgcolor="#efefef"
|- bgcolor="#efefef"
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|align="center" |20
|align="center" |20
|align="center" |15
|align="center" |15
|align="center" |15
|align="center" |11
|align="center" |3
|align="center" |N/A
|align="center" |N/A
|align="center" |69
|align="center" |62
|- bgcolor="#efefef"
|- bgcolor="#efefef"
|Finals reached
|Finals reached
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|align="center" |6
|align="center" |6
|align="center" |4
|align="center" |4
|align="center" |7
|align="center" |5
|align="center" |1
|align="center" |N/A
|align="center" |N/A
|align="center" |20
|align="center" |17
|- bgcolor="#efefef"
|- bgcolor="#efefef"
|'''Tournaments Won'''
|'''Tournaments Won'''
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|align="center" |'''5'''
|align="center" |'''5'''
|align="center" |'''3'''
|align="center" |'''3'''
|align="center" |'''5'''
|align="center" |'''3'''
|align="center" |'''0'''
|align="center" |N/A
|align="center" |N/A
|align="center" |'''15'''
|align="center" |'''13'''
|- bgcolor="#efefef"
|-
|style="background:#EFEFEF;"| Hardcourt Win-Loss
|Hardcourt Win-Loss
|align="center" |1-2
|align="center" |1-2
|align="center" |20-8
|align="center" |20-8
|align="center" |34-11
|align="center" |34-11
|align="center" |29-7
|align="center" |29-7
|align="center" |45-5
|align="center" |28-2
|align="center" |8-2
|align="center" |N/A
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;" |N/A
|align="center" |112-30
|- bgcolor="#efefef"
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;" |137-35
|Clay Win-Loss
|-
|style="background:#EFEFEF;"| Clay Win-Loss
|align="center" |0-0
|align="center" |0-0
|align="center" |5-2
|align="center" |5-2
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|align="center" |9-3
|align="center" |9-3
|align="center" |3-1
|align="center" |3-1
|align="center" |0-0
|align="center" |N/A
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;" |N/A
|align="center" |25-9
|- bgcolor="#efefef"
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;" |25-9
|Grass Win-Loss
|-
|style="background:#EFEFEF;"| Grass Win-Loss
|align="center" |0-0
|align="center" |0-0
|align="center" |9-2
|align="center" |9-2
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|align="center" |10-1
|align="center" |10-1
|align="center" |8-2
|align="center" |8-2
|align="center" |0-0
|align="center" |N/A
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;" |N/A
|align="center" |39-5
|- bgcolor="#efefef"
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;" |39-5
|Carpet Win-Loss
|-
|style="background:#EFEFEF;"| Carpet Win-Loss
|align="center" |0-0
|align="center" |0-0
|align="center" |0-0
|align="center" |0-0
|align="center" |1-1
|align="center" |1-1
|align="center" |5-1
|align="center" |5-1
|align="center" |3-1
|align="center" |5-2
|align="center" |2-1
|align="center" |N/A
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;" |N/A
|align="center" |11-4
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;" |11-4
|- bgcolor="#efefef"
|- bgcolor="#efefef"
|'''Overall Win-Loss'''
|'''Overall Win-Loss'''
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|align="center" |'''55-15'''
|align="center" |'''55-15'''
|align="center" |'''53-12'''
|align="center" |'''53-12'''
|align="center" |'''59-9'''
|align="center" |'''44-7'''
|align="center" |'''10-3'''
|align="center" |'''N/A'''
|align="center" |'''N/A'''
|align="center" |'''212-53'''<sup>1</sup>
|align="center" |'''187-48'''<sup>1</sup>
|- bgcolor="#efefef"
|-
|style="background:#EFEFEF;"| '''Year End Ranking'''
|'''Year End Ranking'''
|align="center" |186
|align="center" |'''186'''
|align="center" |32
|align="center" |'''32'''
|align="center" style="background:#EEE8AA;"|4
|align="center" style="background:#EEE8AA;"|'''4'''
|align="center" style="background:#EEE8AA;"|4
|align="center" style="background:#EEE8AA;"|'''4'''
|align="center" style="background:#EEE8AA;"|2
|align="center" |
|align="center" |
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;" |'''N/A'''
|align="center" |'''N/A'''
|align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;" |'''N/A'''
|align="center" |'''N/A'''
|}
|}


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SR = the ratio of the number of singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played
SR = the ratio of the number of singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played


<sup>1</sup>If ITF women's circuit (Hardcourt: 22-4; Clay: 9-1) participation is included, then her overall win-loss record stands at '''243-58'''.
<sup>1</supp>If ITF women's circuit (Hardcourt: 22-4; Clay: 9-1) participation is included, overall win-loss record stands at '''218-53'''.


==WTA Tour career earnings==
==WTA Tour career earnings==
Line 748: Line 561:
|align="center"|5
|align="center"|5
|align="right"|[http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/global/pdfs/rankings/prizemoney/prize_money_2004.pdf 2,506,263]
|align="right"|[http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/global/pdfs/rankings/prizemoney/prize_money_2004.pdf 2,506,263]
|align="center" style="background:#00ff00;"|[http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/global/pdfs/rankings/prizemoney/prize_money_2004.pdf 1]
|align="center" style="background:#E0B0FF;"|[http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/global/pdfs/rankings/prizemoney/prize_money_2004.pdf 1]


|-
|-
Line 759: Line 572:


|-
|-
|align="center"|2006
|align="center"|2006*
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|0
|align="center"|4
|align="center"|2
|align="center"|5
|align="center"|2
|align="right"|[http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/global/pdfs/rankings/2006/all_ytd_prize_money.pdf 3,799,501]
|align="right"|[http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/global/pdfs/rankings/2006/all_ytd_prize_money.pdf 1,493,923]
|align="center" style="background:#F0DC82;"|[http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/global/pdfs/rankings/2006/all_ytd_prize_money.pdf 2]
|align="center" style="background:#F0DC82;"|[http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/global/pdfs/rankings/2006/all_ytd_prize_money.pdf 4]

|-
|align="center"|2007
|align="center"|
|align="center"|
|align="center"|
|align="right"|
|align="center"|

|-
!align="center"|Career
!align="center"|1
!align="center"|11
!align="center"|12
!align="right"|[http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/global/pdfs/rankings/2006/all_career_prize_money.pdf 6,167,274]
!align="center"|[http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/global/pdfs/rankings/2006/all_career_prize_money.pdf 23]
|}
|}
: *As of [[August 28]], [[2006]].

==Famous matches==
* '''2003 Birmingham quarter-final''': defeated [[Elena Dementieva]], 2-6 7-6(4) 6-2. As a qualifier, Sharapova reached the tournament's semi-final, defeating top-seeded Dementieva along the way. Although she lost in the semis to [[Shinobu Asagoe]], she has began to elicit the media attention, not just because of her model looks as compared to [[Anna Kournikova]], but also because of her grunts. Fellow players and spectators had complained of her boisterous style. <ref>[http://www.jockbio.com/Bios/Sharapova/Sharapova_bio.html Fellow players and spectators had complained ]of Maria's boisterous style.</ref> Still, she followed this up with a fourth round showing at Wimbledon, equaling the best performance by a female wildcard in the tournament's history.
* '''2004 Wimbledon semi-final''': defeated Lindsay Davenport, 2-6 7-6(5) 6-1. The 13th seed Sharapova faced fifth seed Davenport in a match of youth versus experience. Sharapova was overwhelmed by the veteran in the first set, and was trailing 3-1 in the second set before she turned the match around, after a drizzle interrupted it. Although she was three points from defeat in the tiebreak, Sharapova fought back, consolidated her position to take the second set and cruise through the third. <ref>[http://www.mariaworld.net/art1704b.htm 2004 Wimbledon semi-final.]</ref>
* '''2004 Wimbledon final''': defeated Serena Williams, 6-1 6-4. Sharapova faced the top seed in the final. She defeated the two-time defending champion in one of the most stunning upsets in Wimbledon history.<ref>[http://www.jockbio.com/Bios/Sharapova/Sharapova_bio.html 2004 Wimbledon final: ]one of the most stunning upsets in Wimbledon history.</ref> In doing so, she became the second youngest women's Wimbledon champion in the Open Era, and the first non-American victor since [[Jana Novotna]] won in 1998.
* '''2004 Tour Championships final''': defeated Serena Williams, 4-6 6-2 6-4. Sharapova became the second player to win the Year-End Championships in her debut. Trailing 4-0 in the third set, Sharapova won the next six games after Williams began to struggle with an abdominal muscle strain. She finished the year ranked number four. Albeit her tournament run was characterized by controversy, marred by accusations of other Russian players that she had received coaching during matches, as well as some critics' reaction to her fist-pumping attitude in the final, wherein she accompanied these with her "Come On" battlecry as Williams played throughout the second half of the match in pain.
* '''2005 Australian Open semi-final''': lost to Serena Williams, 6-2 5-7 6-8. Continuing a seeming rivalry, Sharapova served for the match during the second and third set, even holding triple match point in the latter. However, Williams came back to take the match and win the tournament. <ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/low/tennis/4207687.stm 2005 Australian Open semi-final.]</ref>
[[Image:Sharap.jpg|right|thumb|180px|Maria Sharapova after winning the [[2006]] [[US Open]] Final in straight-sets © BBC MMVI]]
* '''2005 Indian Wells semi-final''': lost to Lindsay Davenport, 0-6 0-6. Despite holding a 2-0 head-to-head record, Sharapova, then ranked number three in the world, was dealt her worst defeat as Davenport double bageled her. This marked the first time that a player in the top three was double bageled.
* '''2005 Wimbledon semi-final''': lost to Venus Williams, 6-7(2) 1-6. The match was billed as one of the best in years. The high quality match up featured long rallies, high-intensity groundstrokes just clipping the lines, and dramatic grunts. In the end, Williams beat the defending champion, ending Sharapova's 22-match grass court winning streak. <ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/low/tennis/4640481.stm 2005 Wimbledon semi-final.]</ref> <ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/4639341.stm 2005 Wimbledon semi-final: ]Williams ends Sharapova's 22-match grass court winning streak.</ref>
* '''2006 US Open semi-final''': defeated Amelie Mauresmo, 6-0 4-6 6-0. Sharapova defeated the reigning world number one for the first time in her career, bookending her three-set victory with bagel scores (losing a total of just 17 points in those two sets). It marked the first time in the Open Era that a US Open women's singles semi-final has been won with double-bagel sets.<ref>[http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/newsroom/?ContentID=760 Sharapova Ousts Mauresmo]</ref> <ref>[http://sports.yahoo.com/ten/news?slug=5usopentennis&prov=st&type=lgns Sharapova break through at U.S. Open]</ref>
* '''2006 US Open final''': defeated Justine Henin-Hardenne, 6-4 6-4. Coming into her first major final since Wimbledon, Sharapova seemed to be at a disadvantage as Henin-Hardenne has won their last four meetings. However, Sharapova dominated this match, employing an attacking style to claim her second major title. In so doing, the fourth ranked player in the world (and the tournament's third seed) has defeated all top three players (all of whom she has losing head-to-head records) during the summer hardcourt season (former world number two Clijsters in the San Diego final, number one Mauresmo in the tournament semis, and current number two Henin-Hardenne in the final). <ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/5329498.stm 2006 US Open Final] Sharapova powers to US Open title.</ref> <ref>[http://www.usopen.org/en_US/news/reports/2006-09-09/200609091157867004687.html Sharapova Takes New York]</ref>


==References==
==References==
<div class="references-small">
<div class="references-small">
<references/>
<references/>
*"[http://sports.yahoo.com/ten/news?slug=reu-wtasharapova&prov=reuters&type=lgns/ Maria puts world domination on hold]". (Nov. 11, 2005). ''[[New Straits Times]]'', p. 42.
*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/5147790.stm "Sharapova makes 'too much noise'"] by Piers Newbery, [[bbc.co.uk]], July 4, 2006, retrieved September 5, 2006
</div>
</div>

==See also==
*[[List of famous tall women]]
*[[List of Grand Slam Women's Singles champions]]


==External links==
==External links==
{{commonscat|Maria Sharapova}}
{{commons|Maria Sharapova}}
*[http://www.mariasharapova.com Maria Sharapova] Official Site
*[http://www.mariasharapova.com/ Maria Sharapova] Official Site
* {{wta|id=310137|name=Maria Sharapova}}
*{{wta|id=310137|name=Maria Sharapova}}
*{{imdb name|id=1682495|name=Maria Sharapova}}
*{{imdb name|id=1682495|name=Maria Sharapova}}
*[http://www.tenniscorner.net/index.php?corner=W&action=headtohead&playerid=SHM007 Sharapova's record versus other players]
*[http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/features/2006_swimsuit/athletes/ Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue: Maria Sharapova]
*[http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/features/2006_swimsuit/athletes/ Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue: Maria Sharapova]
*[http://www.tennis.about.com/od/playersfemale/a/sharapovaagp.htm Maria Sharapova at tennis.about.com]


{{start box}}
{{start box}}
{{succession box |
{{succession box |
| before = [[Lindsay Davenport]]<br>[[Lindsay Davenport]]<br>[[Justine Henin]]
| before = [[Lindsay Davenport]]
| after = [[Lindsay Davenport]]<br>[[Lindsay Davenport]]<br>[[Justine Henin]]
| after = Lindsay Davenport
| title = [[List of WTA number 1 ranked players|World No. 1]]
| title = [[List of WTA number 1 ranked players|World No. 1]]
| years = August 22, 2005 - August 28, 2005<br>September 12, 2005 - October 23, 2005<br>January 29, 2007 - March 18, 2007
| years = August 22, 2005 - August 28, 2005<br>September 12, 2005 - October 23, 2005
|}}
|}}
{{succession box |
{{succession box |
Line 799: Line 637:
|}}
|}}
{{succession box |
{{succession box |
| before = [[Justine Henin]]
| before = [[Justine Henin-Hardenne]]
| after = [[Kim Clijsters]]
| after = [[Kim Clijsters]]
| title = [[WTA Awards|WTA Player of the Year]]
| title = [[WTA Awards|WTA Player of the Year]]
| years = 2004
| years = 2004
|}}
|}}
{{end}}
{{end box}}


{{Top ten female tennis players}}
{{Tennis World Number Ones (women)}}
{{Tennis World Number Ones (women)}}
{{Wimbledon women's singles champions}}
{{Wimbledon women's singles champions}}
{{US Open women's singles champions}}
{{US Open women's singles champions}}
{{WTA Tour singles champions}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sharapova, Maria}}
[[Category:Russian tennis players]]
[[Category:US Open champions]]
[[Category:Wimbledon champions]]
[[Category:Russian models]]
[[Category:Sports Illustrated swimsuit models]]
[[Category:1987 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]


[[Category:1987 births|Sharapova, Maria]]
[[an:Mariya Xarápova]]
[[Category:Living people|Sharapova, Maria]]
[[Category:Russian athletes|Sharapova, Maria]]
[[Category:Sports Illustrated swimsuit models|Sharapova, Maria]]
[[Category:Russian models|Sharapova, Maria]]
[[Category:Russian tennis players|Sharapova, Maria]]
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[[zh:玛丽亚·莎拉波娃]]
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Revision as of 21:48, 24 March 2007

Maria Sharapova
Country (sports) Russia
ResidenceBradenton, Florida, USA
Height1.905 m (6 ft 3 in)
Turned pro2001
PlaysRight; Two-handed backhand
Prize moneyUS$7,917,274
Singles
Career record214-54
Career titles13
Highest ranking1 (August 22, 2005)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian OpenSF (2005, 2006)
French OpenQF (2004, 2005)
WimbledonW (2004)
US OpenW (2006)
Doubles
Career record23-16
Career titles3
Highest rankingNo. 1
Last updated on: September 9, 2006.

Maria Yuryevna Sharapova (Russian: Мари́я Ю́рьевна Шара́пова; (listenⓘ) born April 19, 1987) is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player and the world's highest-paid female athlete.[1]


Sharapova has acquired two career Grand Slam titles. She is currently the reigning U.S. Open champion, winning the 2006 title over Justine Henin-Hardenne, and, two years prior, the 2004 Wimbledon Championships.

Career

In 2004, Sharapova became the third-youngest Wimbledon women's champion (after Lottie Dod and Martina Hingis) and second-youngest in the Open Era by defeating Lindsay Davenport (2-6, 7-6, 6-1) in the quarterfinals, Ai Sugiyama (5-7, 7-5, 6-1) in the semifinals, and two-time defending champion Serena Williams (6-1, 6-4). She also became the first Russian to win that tournament. Sharapova followed it up with a victory at the season-ending WTA Championships, defeating Williams (4-6, 6-2, 6-4). In the final set, she came back from a 0-4 deficit.

From June 2004 until her Wimbledon semi-final appearance in 2005, Sharapova had a 22-match winning streak on grass, including back-to-back Birmingham titles and the Wimbledon crown. Sharapova's huge success continued after winning Wimbledon, both on the court, making the semi-finals of the 2005 Australian Open, and off it, with numerous endorsements following.

Maria Sharapova at Indian Wells in 2005

Defending her Wimbledon title in 2005, Sharapova sailed through to the semi-finals without losing a set, then lost to a rejuvenated Venus Williams (6-7, 1-6). Sharapova's streak on grass was ended, as was her quest to dethrone No. 1 Lindsay Davenport.

However, a back injury that Davenport sustained in the Wimbledon final meant that she could not defend the ranking points she obtained during the US hard court season of 2004. Sharapova was also suffering from an injury and did not complete a tournament during the season, but she had fewer points to defend and therefore rose to the No. 1 ranking on August 22, 2005. Her reign lasted only a week when Davenport re-ascended after winning the New Haven title. Sharapova rose to the No. 1 ranking again on September 12, 2005 despite losing in the semi-finals of the US Open. Sharapova would hold on to the No. 1 ranking for a further six weeks before relinquishing it again to Davenport following the 2005 Zurich Open.

Her loss in the semifinal of the 2005 US Open against Kim Clijsters marked the fourth time that season that she lost at a Grand Slam tournament against the eventual champion: Australian Open-SF-Serena Williams, French Open-QF-Justine Henin-Hardenne, Wimbledon-SF-Venus Williams, US Open-SF-Kim Clijsters. That record was broken in January 2006, when Sharapova lost in the Australian Open semi-final to Justine Henin-Hardenne. Henin-Hardenne went on to lose in the final of the Australian Open to Amélie Mauresmo.

On March 18, 2006, Sharapova, as No. 3 seed, claimed her first title of the year at the Pacific Life Open at Indian Wells (a Tier 1 event), defeating No.4 seed Elena Dementieva in the final, 6-1 6-2. This was the 11th title of her career. Sharapova was the first Russian to reach the final of the Pacific Life Open. As Dementieva reached the final later, surprisingly defeating Justine Henin-Hardenne, this was the first-ever all-Russian final at the event. Soon after, Sharapova reached the final of the Nasdaq-100 Open losing to Svetlana Kuznetsova 4-6, 3-6. She then took 2 months off because of an ankle injury, resulting in her pulling out of events in Rome and Istanbul.

Sharapova decided to participate at the 2006 French Open despite having not played any clay court tune-ups. After saving three match points in the first round against Mashona Washington, Sharapova was eliminated in the fourth round by Dinara Safina, blowing a lead of 5-1 in the third set, and losing 18 of the last 21 points to lose 5-7, 6-2, 5-7. She welcomed the onset of the grass season, but failed to add a third successive Birmingham title to her collection, losing in the semi-finals to the inexperienced American player Jamea Jackson.

For the second consecutive year, Sharapova was defeated in the semi-finals of The Championships, Wimbledon, losing to eventual winner Amélie Mauresmo 6-3, 3-6, 6-2. Sharapova currently has a 2-5 record in Grand Slam semi-finals. Sharapova is currently ranked No. 4 in the world. Sharapova has a combined 4-11 record against the top 3 players in the world (1-3 against Mauresmo, 2-4 against Justine Henin-Hardenne, and 1-4 against Kim Clijsters.

Sharapova claimed her second title of 2006 (12th career title) as the second seed at the Acura Classic in San Diego, defeating top seed Kim Clijsters, 7-5 7-5 (Her first victory over Clijsters in five meetings).

Sharapova entered the 2006 U.S. Open seeded third after Kim Clijsters dropped out of the tournament. Considered a favorite to reach the final and even win the title, she lived up to expectations defeating the number one player in the world, Amélie Mauresmo, in the semi-finals with a score of 6-0, 4-6, 6-0. It was the first time in the Open era, which began in 1968, that a female semifinalist in the US Open lost two sets at love. Sharapova was victorious in the final, beating Justine Henin-Hardenne in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4 to win her second Grand Slam title.

In July 2006, Maria and her agents sued Byzantium Productions, Inc., a Florida-based production company, accusing them of illegally using her name and image to promote their documentaries. A federal judge ruled in Byzantium's favour on August 3, 2006.[2].

Awards

2003

  • WTA Newcomer of the Year
  • Hottest female athlete of the year (Maxim)

2004

  • WTA Player of the Year
  • WTA Most Improved Player of the Year
  • WTA Player Service
  • Hottest female athlete of the year (Maxim)

2005

  • ESPY Best Female Tennis Player
  • Named the country's best female player for the year by Russia's tennis federation
  • Awarded the honorary Master of Sports of Russia title.
  • Hottest female athlete of the year (Maxim)

2006

  • Hottest female athlete of the year (Maxim)

Personal Life

Sharapova's parents are originally from Gomel, Belarus, and moved to Siberia, Russia in 1986, after the Chernobyl nuclear accident. She was born in Nyagan, Russia, the following year.

At age 9, Sharapova, accompanied by her father, moved to the United States to attend the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Her mother followed a few years later.

Sharapova now lives in the United States, but retains Russian citizenship.

Maria has been rumored to be dating fellow tour player Andy Roddick, though Roddick asserts that the two are just friends.[3][4][5]Roddick and Sharapova have been referred to as "Rodapova" by Page Six of the New York Post[6][7]

Sharapova recently purchased a beach-front home in Manhattan Beach, California, a suburb of Los Angeles.


Endorsements

  • Following her Wimbledon victory in 2004, Sharapova signed a one-year deal with Car company, Honda, but the deal was only in Japan.
  • Land Rover - In April 2006 Sharapova signed a three-year deal to endorse their vehicles; one source with knowledge of the deal said was worth approximately $2 million a year. Sharapova gets a free Land Rover Range Rover Sport in Florida, and a chauffeured Land Rover Discovery where ever she wants.
  • Motorola - a fee, plus a mobile phone and all her mobile phone bills paid, plus a share of the income of downloads from HelloMoto/Maria. Was criticized by some members of the American press for holding a RAZR to her ear at roughly the same time her father was seen talking on a similar phone, as this may have violated the USTA's no sideline-coaching rule.[8]
  • Gatorade - energy drink
  • TAG Heuer - In December 2004, she signed a deal with Swiss sports watch TAG Heuer to become their la test "sport and glamour" ambassador.
  • Nike Inc.: Sharapova been known to wear somewhat eccentric/revealing outfits from Nike on court, best exemplified by a Breakfast at Tiffany's-inspired dress at the 2006 US Open, which many mocked for its use of sequins. She also has been featured in several Nike marketing campaigns, including one ad in 2006 that had her walking through Arthur Ashe Stadium while everyone around her sings "I Feel Pretty" until she returns a serve with her trademark grunt.
  • Prince Sports, Inc.
  • Canon Inc.: Maria promotes both their office and camera products, following in the footsteps of former tennis star Andre Agassi.

Maria's endorsments have earned her considerably more than she has won in tournament play. In June 2005, Forbes magazine listed Sharapova as the highest-paid female athlete in the world, with annual earnings of $18 million. [CBS reported in August 2006 that the figure is over $20 Million.] In total she earns over £ 13.4 million (GBP) per year, over 90 percent of which comes from endorsements. When asked about her income, said, "It's never enough. Bring on the money. There's no limit to how much you can make." [1]

Trivia

  • In June 2006, Sharapova appeared in a commercial for ESPN's This is SportsCenter campaign. In the commercial, she is walking past Stuart Scott's desk when he stops her. He offers her a can of tennis balls he received from a supplier. She says that the can is filled with paper "worms" and that she doesn't want it. Scott acts offended, causing Sharapova to feel bad. She obliges to take the can, opens it, and paper worms fly into her face. She angrily walks away and throws the can back at Scott after he asks for it back. This commercial also featured Roger Federer who suffers the same fate before Sharapova. This was Sharapova's second commercial for ESPN, the first one, in which anchor John Anderson gives Sharapova a seat, which he was saving for Stuart Scott, even though he declined to give the seat to another anchor. This was an obvious reference to Sharapova's looks, as she is seen as one of the most beautiful athletes in the world.
  • Never one to stay quiet on court, perhaps one of the most unusual aspects of Sharapova's game is her trademark on-court "grunting", or "screaming". Quite possibly the loudest female screamer since Monica Seles, a London tabloid is reported to have claimed that "her persistent shrieks topped out at 102 decibels"[10] (as loud as a police siren). Sharapova claims that this is just part of her game and that only the British press give her a hard time about it. Elena Dementieva, Sharapova's opponent in the Wimbledon 2006 quarter-final, complained about the distraction it causes.[11]. Later in US open, Tatiana Golovin said: "Shrieking is not going to make the tennis ball come to me faster".[2]
  • Says what she enjoys most about being a professional tennis player is the traveling/getting to meet new people and see new cultures. [12]
  • Is good friends with fellow Russian tennis player Maria Kirilenko, despite not getting along with many of the other female Russian tennis players. [13]
  • Is affectionately called "Masha".[14]
  • Is ambidextrous, and was undecided about which hand to use dominantly up until her professional tennis career began. [15]

[3]

  • Gave the racquet she used in the Wimbledon final to Regis Philbin, when taping Live with Regis and Kelly
  • Maria is the only Russian female player with more than one Grand Slam singles title
  • This is Maria's 2nd Grand Slam win after winning Wimbledon in 2004 and her 13th tournament win and her 3rd tournament win this year. Maria is #3 in the rankings with 3125 points.

Quotes

  • I believe, at the end of the day, personally, my life is not about a banana. (when asked at the press conference after the 2006 U.S. open final about her father's signaling and feeding her during the match).

Grand Slam singles finals

Wins (2)

Year Championship Opponent in Final Score in Final
2004 Wimbledon United States Serena Williams 6-1, 6-4
2006 U.S. Open Justine Henin-Hardenne 6-4, 6-4

WTA Tour Championships singles finals

Wins (1)

Year Venue Opponent in Final Score in Final
2004 Los Angeles United States Serena Williams 4-6, 6-2, 6-4

WTA Tour titles (16)

Singles (13)

Legend
Grand Slam (2)
WTA Championships (1)
Tier I Event (3)
WTA Tour (7)
Titles by Surface
Hard (9)
Clay (0)
Grass (3)
Carpet (1)
No. Date Tournament Surface Opponent in the final Score
1. 29 September, 2003 Tokyo, Japan Hard Hungary Aniko Kapros 2-6 6-2 7-65
2. Oct 27, 2003 Quebec City, Canada Hard Venezuela Milagros Sequera 6-2 retired
3. Jun 7, 2004 Birmingham, Great Britain Grass France Tatiana Golovin 4-6 6-2 6-1
4. Jun 21, 2004 Wimbledon, London, Great Britain Grass United States Serena Williams 6-1 6-4
5. Sep 27, 2004 Seoul, South Korea Hard Poland Marta Domachowska 6-1 6-1
6. Oct 4, 2004 Tokyo, Japan Hard United States Mashona Washington 6-0 6-1
7. Nov 8, 2004 WTA Championships, Los Angeles, USA Hard United States Serena Williams 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
8. Feb 6, 2005 Tokyo, Japan Carpet United States Lindsay Davenport 6-1 3-6 7-65
9. Feb 21, 2005 Doha, Qatar Hard Australia Alicia Molik 4-6 6-1 6-4
10. Jun 6, 2005 Birmingham, Great Britain Grass Serbia Jelena Jankovic 6-2 4-6 6-1
11. Mar 18, 2006 Indian Wells, USA Hard Russia Elena Dementieva 6-1 6-2
12. Aug 6, 2006 San Diego, USA Hard Belgium Kim Clijsters 7-5 7-5
13. Sept. 9, 2006 U.S. Open, New York City, USA Hard Belgium Justine Henin-Hardenne 6-4 6-4

Singles finalist (4)

  • 2004: Zurich (lost to Alicia Molik)
  • 2005: Miami (lost to Kim Clijsters)
  • 2006: Dubai (lost to Justine Henin-Hardenne)
  • 2006: Miami (lost to Svetlana Kuznetsova)

Doubles Titles (3)

Doubles Finalist (1)

Performance timeline

To prevent confusion and double counting, information in this table is updated only once a tournament or the player's participation in the tournament has concluded. This table is current through the 2006 U.S. Open.

Tournament 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Career SR Career Win-Loss
Australian Open A 1R 3R SF SF 0 / 4 12-4
French Open A 1R QF QF 4R 0 / 4 11-4
Wimbledon A 4R W SF SF 1 / 4 20-3
U.S. Open A 2R 3R SF W 1 / 4 15-3
Grand Slam SR 0 / 0 0 / 4 1 / 4 0 / 4 1 / 4 2 / 16 N/A
Grand Slam Win-Loss 0-0 4-4 15-3 19-4 20-3 N/A 58-14
Tokyo A A 2R W SF 1 / 3 7-2
Indian Wells 2R 1R 4R SF W 1 / 5 13-4
Miami A 1R 4R F F 0 / 4 12-4
Charleston A 1R A A A 0 / 1 0-1
Berlin A A 3R QF A 0 / 2 4-2
Rome A A 3R SF A 0 / 2 5-2
San Diego A A QF A W 1 / 2 7-1
Montreal/Toronto A 1R 3R A A 0 / 2 1-2
Moscow A A A QF 0 / 1 1-1
Zurich A A F A 0 / 1 3-1
WTA Tour Championships A A W SF 1 / 2 6-3
Tournaments played 2 14 20 15 11 N/A 62
Finals reached 0 2 6 4 5 N/A 17
Tournaments Won 0 2 5 3 3 N/A 13
Hardcourt Win-Loss 1-2 20-8 34-11 29-7 28-2 N/A 112-30
Clay Win-Loss 0-0 5-2 8-3 9-3 3-1 N/A 25-9
Grass Win-Loss 0-0 9-2 12-0 10-1 8-2 N/A 39-5
Carpet Win-Loss 0-0 0-0 1-1 5-1 5-2 N/A 11-4
Overall Win-Loss 1-2 34-12 55-15 53-12 44-7 N/A 187-481
Year End Ranking 186 32 4 4 N/A N/A

A = did not participate in the tournament

SR = the ratio of the number of singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played

1</supp>If ITF women's circuit (Hardcourt: 22-4; Clay: 9-1) participation is included, overall win-loss record stands at 218-53.

WTA Tour career earnings

Year Majors WTA wins Total wins Earnings ($) Money list rank
2003 0 2 2 222,005 51
2004 1 4 5 2,506,263 1
2005 0 3 3 1,921,283 5
2006* 0 2 2 1,493,923 4
2007
Career 1 11 12 6,167,274 23
*As of August 28, 2006.

Famous matches

  • 2003 Birmingham quarter-final: defeated Elena Dementieva, 2-6 7-6(4) 6-2. As a qualifier, Sharapova reached the tournament's semi-final, defeating top-seeded Dementieva along the way. Although she lost in the semis to Shinobu Asagoe, she has began to elicit the media attention, not just because of her model looks as compared to Anna Kournikova, but also because of her grunts. Fellow players and spectators had complained of her boisterous style. [16] Still, she followed this up with a fourth round showing at Wimbledon, equaling the best performance by a female wildcard in the tournament's history.
  • 2004 Wimbledon semi-final: defeated Lindsay Davenport, 2-6 7-6(5) 6-1. The 13th seed Sharapova faced fifth seed Davenport in a match of youth versus experience. Sharapova was overwhelmed by the veteran in the first set, and was trailing 3-1 in the second set before she turned the match around, after a drizzle interrupted it. Although she was three points from defeat in the tiebreak, Sharapova fought back, consolidated her position to take the second set and cruise through the third. [17]
  • 2004 Wimbledon final: defeated Serena Williams, 6-1 6-4. Sharapova faced the top seed in the final. She defeated the two-time defending champion in one of the most stunning upsets in Wimbledon history.[18] In doing so, she became the second youngest women's Wimbledon champion in the Open Era, and the first non-American victor since Jana Novotna won in 1998.
  • 2004 Tour Championships final: defeated Serena Williams, 4-6 6-2 6-4. Sharapova became the second player to win the Year-End Championships in her debut. Trailing 4-0 in the third set, Sharapova won the next six games after Williams began to struggle with an abdominal muscle strain. She finished the year ranked number four. Albeit her tournament run was characterized by controversy, marred by accusations of other Russian players that she had received coaching during matches, as well as some critics' reaction to her fist-pumping attitude in the final, wherein she accompanied these with her "Come On" battlecry as Williams played throughout the second half of the match in pain.
  • 2005 Australian Open semi-final: lost to Serena Williams, 6-2 5-7 6-8. Continuing a seeming rivalry, Sharapova served for the match during the second and third set, even holding triple match point in the latter. However, Williams came back to take the match and win the tournament. [19]
File:Sharap.jpg
Maria Sharapova after winning the 2006 US Open Final in straight-sets © BBC MMVI
  • 2005 Indian Wells semi-final: lost to Lindsay Davenport, 0-6 0-6. Despite holding a 2-0 head-to-head record, Sharapova, then ranked number three in the world, was dealt her worst defeat as Davenport double bageled her. This marked the first time that a player in the top three was double bageled.
  • 2005 Wimbledon semi-final: lost to Venus Williams, 6-7(2) 1-6. The match was billed as one of the best in years. The high quality match up featured long rallies, high-intensity groundstrokes just clipping the lines, and dramatic grunts. In the end, Williams beat the defending champion, ending Sharapova's 22-match grass court winning streak. [20] [21]
  • 2006 US Open semi-final: defeated Amelie Mauresmo, 6-0 4-6 6-0. Sharapova defeated the reigning world number one for the first time in her career, bookending her three-set victory with bagel scores (losing a total of just 17 points in those two sets). It marked the first time in the Open Era that a US Open women's singles semi-final has been won with double-bagel sets.[22] [23]
  • 2006 US Open final: defeated Justine Henin-Hardenne, 6-4 6-4. Coming into her first major final since Wimbledon, Sharapova seemed to be at a disadvantage as Henin-Hardenne has won their last four meetings. However, Sharapova dominated this match, employing an attacking style to claim her second major title. In so doing, the fourth ranked player in the world (and the tournament's third seed) has defeated all top three players (all of whom she has losing head-to-head records) during the summer hardcourt season (former world number two Clijsters in the San Diego final, number one Mauresmo in the tournament semis, and current number two Henin-Hardenne in the final). [24] [25]

References

  1. ^ Martin, John (September 7, 2006). "The Highest Paid Female Athlete On The Planet; Why Sharapova Is So Hot". ABC News. Retrieved September 7, 2006.
  2. ^ Federal judge ruling in Byzantium's favour
  3. ^ roddick serving sharapova
  4. ^ Roddick Denies Sharapova Romance
  5. ^ http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/chi-0608280127aug28,1,6457877.story A match made in
  6. ^ "Rodapova" roll past opponents
  7. ^ http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/chi-0608280127aug28,1,6457877.story A match made in
  8. ^ Sharapova Fingered in Bananagate
  9. ^ Tennis Star to Give $10,000 in Tsunami Aid
  10. ^ Sharapova's decibel levels.
  11. ^ Sharapova makes 'too much noise'
  12. ^ WTA tour news comment: enjoys traveling/ getting to meet new people.
  13. ^ Good friend of a fellow Russian tennis player
  14. ^ Biography
  15. ^ Ambidextrous
  16. ^ Fellow players and spectators had complained of Maria's boisterous style.
  17. ^ 2004 Wimbledon semi-final.
  18. ^ 2004 Wimbledon final: one of the most stunning upsets in Wimbledon history.
  19. ^ 2005 Australian Open semi-final.
  20. ^ 2005 Wimbledon semi-final.
  21. ^ 2005 Wimbledon semi-final: Williams ends Sharapova's 22-match grass court winning streak.
  22. ^ Sharapova Ousts Mauresmo
  23. ^ Sharapova break through at U.S. Open
  24. ^ 2006 US Open Final Sharapova powers to US Open title.
  25. ^ Sharapova Takes New York
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Maria Sharapova.
Preceded by World No. 1
August 22, 2005 - August 28, 2005
September 12, 2005 - October 23, 2005 		Succeeded by
Lindsay Davenport
Preceded by WTA Most Improved Player
2004 		Succeeded by
Preceded by WTA Player of the Year
2004 		Succeeded by
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