Maria Sharapova

"Sharapova" redirects here. For other uses, see Sharapov (surname).
In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Yuryevna and the family name is Sharapova.

Maria Sharapova
Sharapova in 2024
Full nameMariya Yuryevna Sharapova
Native nameМария Шарапова
Country (sports) Russia
ResidenceFlorida and California, US
Born (1987-04-19) 19 April 1987 (age 37)
Nyagan, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Height188 cm (6 ft 2 in)[1]
Turned pro19 April 2001[1]
Retired26 February 2020[2]
PlaysRight-handed (two-handed backhand), born left-handed
Prize money$38,777,962
Singles
Career record645–171[1]
Career titles36
Highest rankingNo. 1 (22 August 2005)[1]
Grand Slam singles results
Australian OpenW (2008)
French OpenW (2012, 2014)
WimbledonW (2004)
US OpenW (2006)
Other tournaments
Tour FinalsW (2004)
Olympic GamesF (2012)
Doubles
Career record23–17 (57.5%)[1]
Career titles3[1]
Highest rankingNo. 41 (14 June 2004)[1]
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open2R (2003, 2004)
US Open2R (2003)
Mixed doubles
Career record2–1 (66.7%)
Career titles0
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
US OpenQF (2004)
Team competitions
Fed CupW (2008)
Signature
Medal record
Representing  Russia
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2012 London Singles

Maria Yuryevna Sharapova (Russian: Мария Юрьевна Шарапова, romanized: Mariya Yuryevna Sharapova, pronounced [mɐˈrʲijə ʂɐˈrapəvə] ⓘ; born 19 April 1987) is a Russian former world No. 1 tennis player. She competed on the WTA Tour from 2001 to 2020 and was ranked world No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for 21 weeks. She is one of ten women to achieve the career Grand Slam. She is also an Olympic medalist, having won silver in women's singles at the 2012 London Olympics. She has been considered as one of the best female tennis competitors of her generation.

Sharapova became the world No. 1 for the first time on 22 August 2005 at the age of 18, becoming the first Russian woman to top the singles rankings, and last held the position on 8 July 2012.[4][5] She won five major titles — two at the French Open and one each at the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. She won 36 titles in total, including the year-end championships on her debut in 2004. She also won three doubles titles. Although she played under the banner of Russia with the WTA, she has lived in and been a United States permanent resident since 1994.[6]

Sharapova failed a drug test at the 2016 Australian Open, testing positive for meldonium, a substance that had been banned (effective 1 January 2016) by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). On 8 June 2016, she was suspended from playing tennis for two years by the International Tennis Federation (ITF).[7][8][9] On 4 October 2016, the suspension was reduced to 15 months, starting from the date of the failed test, as the Court of Arbitration for Sport found that she had committed "no significant fault" and that she had taken the substance "based on a doctor's recommendation... with good faith belief that it was appropriate and compliant with the relevant rules".[10][11][12] She returned to the WTA Tour on 26 April 2017 at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.

Sharapova has been featured in a number of modeling assignments, including a feature in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. She has appeared in many advertisements, including those for Nike, Prince, and Canon, and has been the face of several fashion houses, most notably Cole Haan. Since February 2007, she has been a United Nations Development Programme Goodwill Ambassador, concerned specifically with the Chernobyl Recovery and Development Programme. In June 2011, she was named one of the "30 Legends of Women's Tennis: Past, Present and Future" by Time[13] and in March 2012 was named one of the "100 Greatest of All Time" by Tennis Channel. According to Forbes, she was the highest-paid female athlete in the world for 11 consecutive years and earned US$285 million (including prize money) since she turned professional in 2001.[14][15] In 2018, she launched a new program to mentor women entrepreneurs.[16]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Maria Sharapova". WTA Tennis.
  2. ^ "Maria Sharapova retirement". news.com.au. 26 February 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  3. ^ "Career Prize Money Leaders" (PDF). Women's Tennis Association. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  4. ^ "Notes& Netcords" (PDF). WTA. 16 July 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 January 2014. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
  5. ^ "Maria Sharapova reclaims world number one ranking". 3News. MediaWorks TV. 8 June 2012. Archived from the original on 28 July 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  6. ^ Briggs, Simon (28 August 2013). "US Open 2011: Elena Baltacha warns Heather Watson of the extreme intensity of Maria Sharapova". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  7. ^ "Maria Sharapova failed drugs test at Australian Open". BBC. 8 March 2016.
  8. ^ "Press release: Tennis Anti-Doping Programme statement regarding Maria Sharapova". International Tennis Federation. 7 March 2016. Archived from the original on 8 January 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  9. ^ "Maria Sharapova banned for two years for failed drugs test but will appeal". BBC. 8 June 2016.
  10. ^ "CAS Reduce Sharapova Suspension to 15 Months". WTATennis. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  11. ^ "Maria Sharapova's drugs ban cut to 15 months on appeal". CCN. 4 October 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  12. ^ "Everything you need to know about Maria Sharapova's appeal, what the CAS found, and when the former No. 1 can return to the tour". Wtatennis. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  13. ^ William Lee Adams (22 June 2011). "30 Legends of Women's Tennis: Past, Present and Future – Maria Sharapova". Time. Archived from the original on 25 June 2011. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
  14. ^ "The World's Highest-Paid Female Athletes 2015". Forbes. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  15. ^ Kurt Badenhausen. "How Maria Sharapova Earned $285 Million During Her Tennis Career". Forbes. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  16. ^ Rossingh, Danielle. "Maria Sharapova To Mentor Women Business Owners". Forbes. Retrieved 11 March 2018.