Five Grand Slams and one of sport's most recognised commercial brands — tennis's most famous Russian.
Maria Yuryevna Sharapova was born in Nyagan, Russia in 1987. Her father Yuri moved to the United States with Maria at six to pursue her tennis development — her mother was unable to obtain a visa and did not see her daughter for two years. IMG Academy in Florida developed her. She won Wimbledon in 2004 at age 17 — the first Russian woman to win the title. She became the face of women's tennis commercially — her endorsement earnings exceeded her prize money throughout her career, making her the highest-earning female athlete in the world for multiple consecutive years. She completed the career Grand Slam when she won the 2012 French Open. She received a 15-month ban in 2016 after testing positive for meldonium — a substance she stated she had been taking for a decade for health reasons without knowing it had been added to the prohibited list. She returned to professional tennis in 2017 and retired in February 2020 citing a persistent shoulder injury. Her five Grand Slams, global commercial reach and the meldonium case make her one of tennis's most discussed careers.
Wimbledon (2004)
Career Honours
- Wimbledon (2004)
- US Open (2006)
- Australian Open (2008)
- French Open 2x (2012,2014)