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| STATISTICS |
We have 6792 registered users
The newest registered user is alecipriani
We have 1171 Female Members
We have 1947 Male Members
Our users have posted a total of 92585 articles within 2323 topics
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| AWARDS |
2003 |
WTA (World Tennis Association)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) |
Prix de Citron Roland Garros |
2006 |
Hottest female athlete of the year (Maxim) |
Received the Whirlpool Sixth Sense Award |
Named the country's best female player for the year by Russia's tennis federation |
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MARIA SHARAPOVA'S BIOGRAPHY |
A profile of the sexy Russian Tennis Champion
By Abuttons |
 MARIA SHARAPOVA: THE SIBERIAN SIREN
On April 19, 1987 a baby girl named Maria was born in Nyagan, Western Siberia in Russia for the love of their proud parents, Yuri Sharapov and wife Yelena.
Neither they, nor the rest of the world, had any idea that Maria Sharapova, while still a teenager, would become one of the biggest superstars in the world of sports and beyond.
Her story is a combination of a fairy tale, sacrifices, determination and natural talent.
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS:
 Maria's parents had moved to Nyagan from Gomel, Belarus, to escape the consequences of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster. They then moved to the Black Sea resort town of Sochi in 1989, and it was there Maria and tennis began what would become a very successful partnership. By hitting a few balls against the wall and watching her father and others play on court, she quickly showed that she had plenty of talent for the game.
It was tennis legend Martina Navratilova who perhaps provided the first boost to Maria's aspirations. The six year old was participating in a tennis clinic as part of the 1993 Kremlin Cup program. Martina quickly noticed how Maria's on-court posture and shots clearly stood out even among much the older children, and expressed to Yuri how talented she found his young daughter.
A major decision in Maria's life was swiftly shaping up. With the desire to give her the best chances to become a professional player, in March 1995 Yuri and Maria took a plane bound to Miami, USA and mainly because of Visa restrictions, left Yelena behind in Russia.
STEPPING OUT TO THE NEW WORLD
Her arrival in the U.S. marked the beginning of perhaps the most challenging phase in Maria's life, that has without a doubt shaped her determination to succeed and her will of steel, two attributes that would become so evident and important in her professional career.
To start with, Yuri had only $ 700 in his pocket and over time, he needed to accept all sorts of jobs in order to support Maria and their living.
Maria was also too young to be accepted at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy as a full-time student and thus for two tough years, Yuri continued to coach her privately while she started competing - and winning - in local tournaments. Only in December 1995 the Bollettieri Academy offered a scholarship to Maria, who for seven months lived on the campus, seeing her father only on weekends.
 It was a difficult situation for Maria: living away from her mother, separated most of the time from her father and having to cope with the constant teasing of her much-older roommates on campus.
Luckily, in June 1996 Yelena obtained the U.S. Visa and the Sharapova family reunited: Maria continued to train at the Academy but now could live in an apartment with her parents.
EARLY SUCCESS
Maria's first highlight on the tennis stage was achieved at only 13 years of age with a victory in the Girls' 16-and-under Eddie Herr Championships in November 2000. Then, she played her first professional tournament in April 2001, and her first WTA tournament in 2002, when a not-yet-15 Maria reached the second round at Indian Wells where she lost against the then-World No. 9 Monica Seles.
 But Maria was destined to climb the career ladder very rapidly. In 2003 she played her first Grand Slam at the Australian Open, and in Wimbledon she grabbed the World's attention for the first time by reaching the Fourth round after having beaten three higher ranked players, including Jelena Dokic. Towards the end of the season Maria won her first WTA tournament in Tokyo, followed by a second title in Quebec. She also won two doubles titles in Tokyo and Luxembourg. Her ranking, initially set at No. 532 when she turned Pro, had come to No. 186 in 2002 and then up to No. 32 at the end of 2003.
2004: THE FAIRY TALE BEGINS
2004 was the year in which Maria stormed the World and established herself both as a top tennis player and as a celebrity. The build-up began with a quarterfinal show at Roland Garros, followed by her third career title in Birmingham.
 Two weeks later, the magic exploded in Wimbledon: Maria found what she would call "her little World", and after some convincing victories in the early rounds, she clinched an epic victory against Lindsay Davenport in the semi-final (the match interrupted for rain with Maria down 1-5 in the second set), moving on to face in the final perhaps the most intimidating player that women's tennis had ever seen: Serena Williams. Against all odds, Maria totally outplayed Serena 6-1, 6-4 to become the third youngest winner in the Open Era at SW19. "And a new star is born today on Center Court!" shouted the BBC radio commentator while Maria sank to her knees on match point. How correct he was! Yet, even he had no idea how bright that star would become.
 That victory changed completely - and forever - Maria's life. In addition to her tennis talent and competitive spirit, it was impossible not to notice her stunning natural beauty, her elegance, her poise.
Already part of the IMG modeling agency for a few years, Maria started appearing in several TV shows (TRL, Jay Leno, Regis & Kelly) and became one of the preferred choices for endorsements and sponsorship deals from the likes of Motorola, watch maker Tag Heuer, Parlux perfumes and Canon.
All such sudden celebrity took its toll on Maria's game. In fact, she struggled during the US Open season and had to play a couple of lower tier tournaments in Tokyo and Seoul (she won both) to rebuild her confidence. The strategy paid off as she finished the season winning the WTA Year-End Championships, beating Serena Williams again. Maria was the second player in history to win the YEC on her debut appearance and became the player with the highest prize money won during the year. Her year-end ranking was No. 4.
2005: MARIA SHARAPOVA - WORLD NUMBER ONE
 Consistency was what characterized Maria's game in 2005. Despite blowing away three match points in the Australian Open semi-final against Serena Williams, Maria won to back-to-back titles in Tokyo and Doha, reaching the semi-final at Indian Wells (her only career double-bagel loss) and the final in Miami. There, at the WTA Awards ceremony, Maria won the 2004 Player Of the Year Award, the Most Improved Player Award, and the Fans Award.
 However, a nagging shoulder/rib injury that started showing up in Zurich 2004 was hampering Maria's game and she struggled to get into finals, and even more so, to win titles, not least because of a surprisingly successful return to the scene of Justine Henin-Hardenne and Kim Clijsters. Maria defended her Birmingham title but was not able to repeat her maiden Grand Slam victory at Wimbledon. The second half of the season was an agonizing sequence of pull-outs, walk-overs, matches played in pain.
 On August 22nd, however, the Golden Girl of Tennis reached the WTA No. 1 ranking: she was the fifth youngest to claim the top spot in women's tennis and the first Russian. Maria would maintain that position for seven non-consecutive weeks. The year closed with a semi-final show at the YEC: Maria had reached the quarterfinals or better in all of the 15 tournament she played and ended the year once again ranked No. 4.
Off-court, Maria's rise to stardom was unstoppable: her 6' 2" of undisputable charm put her in a class of her own. She was listed in People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People and Forbes indicates her as the highest paid female athlete. Maria added Palmolive and Samantha Thavasa to the list of her prestigious endorsement deals.
2006: LIGHTNING STRIKES TWICE
 Maria's preparation for the 2006 season did not start well: her rib injury was still not fully healed. She pulled out of the Gold Coast tournament and, only at the last moment, decided to board the plane to Melbourne for the Australian Open, where she was defeated in the semi-finals by Justine Henin-Hardenne.
The 11th career title came in at Indian Wells, followed by a final in Miami. Maria seemed to have left the injuries behind, but while playing an exhibition match in Mexico, she damaged one foot, something that would hamper her results in the following 2-3 months. A loss in the fourth round of Roland Garros interrupted a series of 26 consecutive tournaments (starting in Beijing 2004) in which Maria reached the quarterfinals or better. Furthermore, she was upset by Jamea Jackson in Birmingham and lost in Wimbledon, her fifth Grand Slam semi final, this time to Amelie Mauresmo.
 However, Maria's fighting sprit was relentless and she moved on to what would become her most successful season: first, she won in San Diego, beating Kim Clijsters (whom she had never beaten before) and then at the US Open, where she re-ignited the magic.
Wearing a fabulous little-black-dress inspired by Audrey Hepburn's cocktail dress in "Breakfast At Tiffany's", Maria displayed an impressive tennis form during the two weeks to take home her second Grand Slam after having disposed of Amelie Mauresmo in the semifinal and Justine Henin-Hardenne in the final.
The US Open marked the start of a 19-victories streak that would bring Maria another two WTA titles in Zurich and Linz. Although the clear favorite in the Year End Championship, after having won her three round robin matches she lost in the semifinal to Justine Henin-Hardenne.
Maria finished 2006 at No. 2, the best year end ranking of her career.
MARIA SHARAPOVA - THE SUPERSTAR
 The role of glamorous superstar is something that Maria does not mind playing from time to time, and she knows how to do it. She was one of the feature models in the 2006 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition in which she proved to be equal or better looking than the professional supermodels, is signed-up by Land Rover as testimonial, and made a sparkling appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman.
 That a girl has been able to achieve all this while still a teenager speaks miles about how a truly exceptional person Maria is.
A world class athlete already in the history of tennis, with a great talent and an incredible determination to improve, fight and win.
A world class beauty, incredibly gorgeous, naturally elegant and with a great personality.
So much for the history: for the Siberian Siren, the future may have no limits.
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| MARIA'S PROFILE |
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Name: |
Maria Sharapova |
AKA: |
The Siberian Siren |
Country: |
Russia  |
Date of Birth: |
19 April 1987 |
Place of Birth: |
Nyagan, Siberia, Russia |
Residence: |
Bradenton, Florida, USA |
Height: |
1.88m (6ft 2 in) |
Weight: |
59 kg (130 lbs) |
Turned Pro: |
2002 |
Plays: |
Right, Two-handed backhand |
Career Prize Money: |
US $8, 472, 852 |
Career Record: |
233-55 |
Career Titles: |
15 |
| Current Ranking: |
2 |
| Highest Ranking: |
1 (Aug 22 2005)
1 (29 Jan 2007) |
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| MARIA'S TITLES |
Grand Slam = 2 |
WTA Championships = 1 |
Tier I Events = 4 |
WTA Tour = 8 |
ITF Titles = 4 |
| Read More |
| MARIA'S 2007 SCHEDULE |
First half of the year |
January 3-6: Watsons Water Challenge - Hong Kong:
Exhibition - Hardcourts
January 15-28: Australian Open - Melbourne, Australia:
Grand Slam - Rebound Ace
January 29-February 4: Toray Pan Pacific Open - Tokyo, Japan:
Tier 1 - Indoors
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