Maria Sharapova was born on April 19, 1987, in Nyagan, Russia, to Yuri Sharapov and Yelena Sharapova. After hitting her first tennis ball at the age of four, she attended a tennis clinic at the age of six held by Martina Navratilova. Sharapova then began to train with Nick Bollettieri at the IMG Academy.
The Russian was a very accomplished junior player. She became the youngest girl to reach the final of the Australian Open girls’ singles in 2002, aged 14 years and nine months. That was followed by reaching the final of the Wimbledon girls’ singles a few months later.
Sharapova began to have success on the WTA Tour in 2003 despite still being just 15 years old at the start of the season. She claimed her first two titles in September and October 2003 at the Japan Open and Turnoi de Quebec, overcoming Aniko Kapros and Milagros Sequera in the finals.
However, the 2004 Wimbledon Championships was the scene of one of the most memorable moments in tennis history. Sharapova unexpectedly reached the final at SW19, including a semifinal triumph against 1999 champion Lindsay Davenport.
But Sharapova did not stop there. At the age of just 17, she recorded a stunning upset against the then six-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams in the final, triumphing 6-1, 6-4. This made her the third-youngest woman to ever win Wimbledon, after Lottie Dodd and Martina Hingis.
Sharapova’s stunning 2004 did not end there. She ended the year by winning the 2004 WTA Finals. Once again, she overcame Serena Williams in the final, this time in three sets 4-6, 6-2, 6-4.
2005 saw her reach three Grand Slam semifinals, but her biggest title in that season was a maiden WTA 1000 crown at the Pan Pacific Open. She won a memorable final against Lindsay Davenport, prevailing 6-1, 3-6, 7-6.
Sharapova claimed her second Grand Slam title at the 2006 US Open. Her run to the final included victories against Li Na and Amelie Mauresmo. She reigned supreme at Flushing Meadows with a very impressive 6-4, 6-4 triumph against Justine Henin.
The Russian also obtained three WTA 1000 titles in 2006 at the Indian Wells Open, the Southern California Open, and the Zurich Open. Sharapova’s achievements led to her finishing the year as the world No. 2.
Two more big finals followed in 2007 at the Australian Open and the WTA Finals, but Sharapova lost both to Serena Williams and Henin, respectively. The Russian’s biggest title in 2007 was retaining her Southern California Open title by beating Patty Schnyder.
Sharapova went a step further at the 2008 Australian Open. Incredibly, she did not drop a set throughout the tournament. Her third Grand Slam title was confirmed with a 7-5, 6-3 win against Ana Ivanovic. She also claimed another WTA 1000 title in Qatar during that season.
The following two seasons were not as successful for Sharapova, only reaching one Grand Slam quarterfinal in 2009 and 2010. She returned to a high level with two Grand Slam final appearances at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships and 2012 Australian Open, losing to Petra Kvitova and Victoria Azarenka, respectively.
Sharapova then achieved the career Grand Slam at the 2012 Roland Garros. She only dropped one set throughout the tournament, which came against Klara Koukalova in the fourth round. Sharapova comfortably defeated Sara Errani 6-3, 6-2 in the final to claim her fourth Grand Slam.
After narrowly failing to retain her French Open title by being runner-up to Serena Williams, Sharapova triumphed in Paris once again in 2014. She had to battle much more to achieve her second title at Roland-Garros, winning her last four matches in three sets. This included an epic 6-4, 6-7, 6-4 final victory against Simona Halep.
Sharapova made her last Grand Slam final appearance at the 2015 Australian Open, where she lost to Serena Williams again. However, the following year’s Australian Open was the scene where Sharapova’s career shifted dramatically.
In March 2016, Sharapova announced that she had failed a drug test at the 2016 Australian Open. She tested positive for meldonium, which had been added to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s list of banned substances at the start of that year.
After initially receiving a 24-month ban, the Court of Arbitration for Sport reduced the ban to 15 months upon appeal. However, Sharapova was never the same player after returning to the sport.
She claimed one more WTA title at the Tianjin Open in October 2017 and reached one more Grand Slam quarterfinal at the 2018 French Open. Sharapova retired from professional tennis on 26 February 2020.
