Maria Sharapova
Written by 96870257 on July 6, 2008
Maria Yuryevna Sharapova (Russian: Мари́я Ю́рьевна Шара́пова?·i, Mariâ Ûr′evna Šarapova; born April 19, 1987) is a former World No. 1 Russian professional tennis player. As of July 7, 2008, she is ranked World No. 3.
Sharapova has won three Grand Slam singles titles. In 2004, at the age of 17, she defeated Serena Williams in the Wimbledon final. She has since won the 2006 US Open, defeating Justine Henin in the final, and the 2008 Australian Open, defeating Ana Ivanovic in the final. Sharapova has been ranked in the top ten since winning Wimbledon in 2004, the longest run of any current female tennis player. During the 12 months ending June 2007, she was the world’s highest-paid female athlete.
She is currently coached by her father, Yuri Sharapov, and former player Michael Joyce.