Maria Sharapova
Maria Yuryevna Sharapova (Russian: Мари́я Ю́рьевна Шара́пова listen (help·info)) (born April 19, 1987) is a Russian professional tennis player of Belarusian descent and a former World No. 1. As of November 19, 2007, she is the fifth-ranked female player in the world. At the end of 2006, she was the world’s highest-paid female athlete.[2]
The Sharapova family pronounces its name with a slight stress only on the second syllable (Sharápova)[citation needed], yet English speakers in general — and American sports commentators in particular — commonly mispronounce it by stressing the third syllable (Sharapóva).
Sharapova has won two Grand Slam singles titles. In 2004, she beat Serena Williams to take the Wimbledon title at the age of 17. Two years later, she defeated Justine Henin in the final of the 2006 U.S. Open. She also reached the final at the 2007 Australian Open.
At 6′2″, Sharapova is one of the tallest women currently in the women’s game. Only Lindsay Davenport has been a taller Grand Slam champion in the 21st Century. Even on the men’s side, only four Grand Slam champions in the 21st Century have eclipsed her height.
Contents
1 Playing style
2 Career
2.1 2003: Early promise
2.2 2004: Breakthrough season
2.3 2005: Consistency
2.4 2006: A second major title
2.5 2007: A Rollercoaster
2.6 2008
3 Personal life
4 Awards
5 Endorsements and media publicity
5.1 Product endorsement and equipment
6 Activism
7 Quotations
8 Grand Slam singles finals
8.1 Wins (2)
8.2 Runner-ups (1)
9 WTA Tour Championships singles finals
9.1 Wins (1)
9.2 Runner Up (1)
10 WTA Tour titles (19)
10.1 Singles wins (16)
10.2 Doubles wins (3)
11 WTA Tour runner-ups (8)
11.1 Singles runner-ups (7)
11.2 Doubles runner-up (1)
12 ITF titles (4)
12.1 Singles (4)
13 Singles performance timeline
14 WTA Tour career earnings
15 Notable Matches
16 References
17 See also
18 External links
Playing style
Sharapova has been labeled as an offensive baseliner by tennis critics and fans.[3] She is noted for having an excellent double-handed backhand and serves, particularly for the power and placement of these shots. She is also noted for having a good forehand. Likewise, critics claim that for her height, Sharapova has decent agility on-court.[4] Being an offensive player, Sharapova is usually able to overpower her opponents or keep them on the run with sharp angles from the baseline. However, she is not known for being among the strongest of defensive players. She can lose precision on her groundstrokes when she is put on the run herself, a weakness that the best all-around players will exploit. Sharapova is also not a natural volleyer. Instead, she typically uses a powerful “swinging” volley for net approaches. Sharapova usually serves for placement, but uses enough power on her first and second serve that attacking that stroke is very difficult for her opponents. She has been trying to develop her “all-power” game, while also adding in slice, drop shots and drop volleys.
Due to shoulder injuries, Sharapova has adopted a new service action with a shorter backswing. Her first and second serve became less effective during the majority of the 2007 season. Previously, she had an elongated backswing to generate power on her serve. However, as a trade-off, the swing also placed incredible strain on her shoulder, leading to Sharapova’s shoulder injury at the beginning of the 2007 season. It has been noted that in Madrid, her powerful serve and sharp game have returned to normal.[5]
Sharapova is ambidextrous; although she almost always employs a right-handed forehand and double-handed backhand, she is known to occasionally hit a left-handed shot. She is also renowned for her on-court “grunting,” reaching 101 decibels (the volume of a police siren) during a match at Wimbledon 2005.[6]
Career
2003: Early promise
Having turned professional in 2002, though playing just two WTA tournaments, Sharapova hit the Tour full-time in 2003. She qualified for both the Australian Open and French Open, though lost in the first round in both. Her first taste of real success came at Wimbledon; having been issued a wildcard, the 16-year-old blasted through to the fourth round, taking out 11th seed Jelena Dokic en route, but then lost a tight match to compatriot Svetlana Kuznetsova.
Sharapova then won her first title at the Tier III tournament in Tokyo, and followed this up by winning another Tier III tournament in Quebec City. She finished a very successful first full year on the tour ranked 32nd, and was named the WTA Newcomer of the Year.
2004: Breakthrough season
Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon in 2004.Sharapova reached the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam for the first time at the 2004 French Open, where she lost to Paola Suarez. Immediately afterwards, she seized her third title at Birmingham, a grass-court Wimbledon warm-up event.
The 17-year-old Sharapova went into Wimbledon as the thirteenth seed, but tipped by some to perhaps cause some upsets. She made it to her second straight Grand Slam quarterfinal, where she defeated Ai Sugiyama 5-7, 7-5, 6-1, and then upset former world number one Lindsay Davenport 2-6, 7-6, 6-1 in the semifinals. She faced two-time defending champion Serena Williams in the final, with Williams the runaway favourite; however, Sharapova caused one of the biggest upsets in Wimbledon history by beating Williams 6-1, 6-4, to become the third-youngest Wimbledon women’s champion (after Lottie Dod and Martina Hingis) and second-youngest in the open era, the first Russian to win that tournament and the lowest seed to win the women’s event at that time (though Venus Williams would be seeded lower on her championship wins in 2005 and 2007).
At the U.S. Open a few months later, she lost to French player and two-time Grand Slam champion Mary Pierce in the third round. During the tournament, Sharapova and several other Russian women tennis players wore a black ribbon in observance of the tragedy after the Beslan school hostage crisis which took place only a few days before.[7]
Sharapova continued her successful season by winning a title in Korea, defending her Tokyo title, and reaching her first Tier I final in Zurich. She ended 2004 with a victory at the season-ending WTA Championships, defeating an injured Serena Williams (4-6, 6-2, 6-4) after coming back from 0-4 in the final set. After losing to Sharapova in a semifinal of this event, Anastasia Myskina said: “He [Sharapova’s father] was just yelling and screaming instructions to her and I thought he just might jump right on the court at one point in the match.”
Sharapova finished 2004 ranked fourth in the world and the second-ranked Russian (behind Myskina). She won five titles during the year, trailing only Lindsay Davenport’s seven, and equal to Justine Henin-Hardenne. Sharapova also topped the prizewinnings list for the women that season.
2005: Consistency
Maria Sharapova at Indian Wells in 2005.Sharapova started the year by reaching the semifinals of the Australian Open, where she lost to eventual champion Serena Williams 2-6, 7-5, 8-6, despite holding three match points in the match. In February, she won her first Tier 1 event in Tokyo, and followed this up with success in Doha.
After reaching the French Open quarterfinals for the second straight year (losing to eventual champion Justine Henin-Hardenne), Sharapova successfully defended her Birmingham title, defeating Jelena Janković in the final to extend her winning streak on grass to 19 matches. She then moved on to the task of defending her Wimbledon title where she reached the semifinals without losing a set, but then was well beaten by a rejuvenated Venus Williams, the eventual champion, 7-6, 6-1. Sharapova’s streak on grass was ended, as was her quest to dethrone top-ranked Lindsay Davenport.
However, Davenport injured her back in the Wimbledon final, preventing her from defending the ranking points she obtained during the U.S. hard-court season of 2004. Sharapova had fewer points to defend and therefore rose to the No. 1 ranking on August 22, 2005, becoming the first Russian woman to hold the position. Her reign lasted only one week, however, as Davenport re-ascended to the top ranking after winning the title in New Haven.
Sharapova reached the semifinals of the U.S. Open, losing to eventual champion Kim Clijsters. This meant that she had lost to the eventual champion at all four Grand Slam events that year. Nevertheless, the points accumulated meant she once again leapfrogged Davenport to take the No. 1 ranking again on September 12, 2005. She kept the No. 1 ranking for six weeks before relinquishing it again to Davenport following the 2005 Zurich Open.
Sharapova failed to defend her title at the WTA Championships, losing in the semifinals to eventual champion Amelie Mauresmo, but she still finished the year ranked number four again, and as the top-ranked Russian for the first time. She won three titles during the year, and was the only player that year to make it to three Grand Slam semi-finals.
2006: A second major title
Maria Sharapova at the Zurich Open 2006At the 2006 Australian Open, Sharapova lost in the semifinals to Justine Henin-Hardenne 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, the only match of the year that she lost after winning the first set.
Sharapova claimed her first title of 2006 and eleventh of her career at the Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, California, a Tier I event at which she was the third seed. Sharapova and No. 4 seed Elena Dementieva became the first Russians to reach the event’s final, with Sharapova triumphing 6-1, 6-2. Soon after, Sharapova lost in the final of the Nasdaq-100 Open to Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4, 6-3. Had Sharapova won the match, she would have became only the third player (after Steffi Graf and Kim Clijsters) in history to win the Indian Wells-Miami double.
Sharapova participated at the 2006 French Open without having played any of the clay-court tune-ups. After saving three match points in the first round against Mashona Washington, Sharapova was eliminated in the fourth round by Dinara Safina 7-5, 2-6, 7-5, after Sharapova led 5-1 in the third set. Sharapova lost 18 of the match’s last 21 points.
Sharapova welcomed the onset of the grass season but failed to add a third successive Birmingham title to her collection, losing in the semifinals to American Jamea Jackson.
For the second consecutive year, Sharapova was defeated in the semifinals of Wimbledon, losing to eventual winner Amélie Mauresmo 6-3, 3-6, 6-2.
Sharapova claimed her second title of 2006 as the second seed at the Acura Classic in San Diego, defeating top-seeded Kim Clijsters 7-5, 7-5. This was Sharapova’s first victory over Clijsters in five meetings. Many believe that this win was the turnaround for this season.
Sharapova played at Los Angeles, but lost to Elena Dementieva in the semifinals. It was her only summer hardcourt loss that year.
Sharapova entered the 2006 U.S. Open seeded third after Clijsters dropped out of the tournament with a wrist injury. Favoured to reach the final, she defeated Mauresmo, the top-ranked player in the world, in a semifinal 6-0, 4-6, 6-0. Sharapova then prevailed over second-ranked Henin-Hardenne in the final 6-4, 6-4 to win her second Grand Slam title. She joined the list of eight players who had beaten the Top 2 players in the world to win a Grand Slam.
Sharapova won the Zurich Open, defeating Daniela Hantuchová 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 in the final. Sharapova then won the Generali Ladies Linz, defeating fellow Russian and defending champion Nadia Petrova 7-5, 6-2, to take her fifth title of 2006 and the 15th title of her career.
Until her loss in the semifinals of the WTA Tour Championships to Justine Henin, Sharapova had won 19 consecutive matches. She finished the year at number two and, for the second year, as the Russian number one. During the year, she compiled a 59-9 record and won five titles (second only to Henin’s six), including three Tier I titles, more than any other player that season.
2007: A Rollercoaster
To start 2007, Sharapova reached the final of the Watson Water Champions Challenge, an exhibition tournament, where she was defeated by Kim Clijsters 6-3, 7-6(8). She went into the Australian Open as the top seed due to world number one Justine Henin’s withdrawal. Sharapova defeated the 62nd-ranked Camille Pin in the first round 6-3, 4-6, 9-7 on her fourth match point in air temperatures that exceeded 40 °C (104 °F) and on-court temperatures that exceeded 50 °C (122 °F). After defeating, amongst others, compratriots Vera Zvonareva and Anna Chakvetadze, she defeated fourth-seeded Clijsters 6-4, 6-2 in the semifinals to reach her first Australian Open final and gain the opportunity to win the only Grand Slam singles title that a Russian woman had not yet won. However, Serena Williams, ranked No. 81 in the world, overpowered an injured Sharapova 6-1, 6-2, though her final run allowed her to re-capture the World No. 1 spot.
Sharapova then achieved disappointing results at her next three tournaments, partly due to hamstring and shoulder injuries, which decimated the effectiveness of her serve. At the Tier I Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, Japan where she was a champion in 2005, she retired to Ana Ivanović when trailing 6-1 0-1 in the semifinals. At the Pacific Life Open, as the defending champion, she lost to Vera Zvonareva in the fourth round with a score of 4-6 7-5 6-1 after leading 5-4 in the second set. This loss saw her lose the No 1 spot after seven straight weeks. In the fourth round of the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida, where she had been a finalist the past two years, she was crushed by Serena Williams for the second successive time with a lopsided scoreline of 6-1 6-1. In the previous round Sharapova had beaten a resurgent Venus Williams 2-6 6-2 7-5.
Sharapova would be forced to miss most the clay court season for the second consecutive year because of the aforementioned injuries. She made her clay season debut at the Istanbul Cup, where she lost to Frenchwoman Aravane Rezaï in the semifinals 6-2, 6-4, in preparation for the French Open. She then reached the semifinals of the French Open for the first time in her career (saving a match point against Patty Schnyder and defeating Chakvetadze en route), but fell to up-and-comer Ana Ivanović 6-2, 6-1.
At the DFS Classic in Birmingham, United Kingdom, Sharapova lost in the final to second seeded Jelena Janković 4-6, 6-3, 7-5. Her record at the Tier III grass court event was extended to 23-3 with two titles in 5 tries. Sharapova then moved on to Wimbledon but fell victim to Venus Williams, who would go on to win the Championships, in the fourth round 6-1, 6-3.
Sharapova’s first summer hardcourt tournament was the Acura Classic in San Diego, California, where she was the defending champion. She progressed to the final relatively easily, showing few of the serving problems that had dogged her all year. In the final, she faced #11 seed Patty Schnyder and won 6-2, 3-6, 6-0, claiming her first title of the year, 5th Tier I title, and the 16th singles title of her career. She then moved on to the East West Bank Classic in Los Angeles, California, where she set up a semifinal encounter against fellow Russian Nadia Petrova, but withdrew briefly before the match with a shin injury. Nevertheless, she clinched the US Open Series for the first time.
Seeded second at the 2007 US Open, Sharapova was placed in the more favourable bottom half of the draw, and was tipped to at least reach the final. She raced through her first two matches, but then lost her third round match to 18-year-old Pole Agnieszka Radwańska 6-4, 1-6, 6-2, partly due to poor serving and a host of unforced errors. It was Sharapova’s earliest exit at a Slam since she lost in the same round at the U.S. Open three years ago. Sharapova didn’t play again until the Kremlin Cup in Moscow in October, where she crashed out to Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in the second round, 7-6(9), 6-2 (after a first-round bye). The recurring shoulder problem then forced Sharapova to withdraw from events in Zurich and Linz, at both of which, she was the defending champion.
Sharapova was granted qualification to the 2007 WTA Tour Championships only by virtue of Venus Williams’s withdrawal, as Sharapova was ranked only #9 on the Race rankings going into the event. Playing only her second match in two months, Sharapova beat Daniela Hantuchová 6-4, 7-5 in her first round-robin match, before coming from a set down to defeat Svetlana Kuznetsova 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 to ensure a place in the semifinals. In her third and final round robin match, Sharapova gained revenge against Ana Ivanović 6-1, 6-2 in just over an hour, meaning she topped her group. Sharapova then defeated Anna Chakvetadze 6-2, 6-2 in the semifinals to advance to the championship match. She then lost to top-ranked Henin 5-7 7-5 6-3 in a dramatic match that lasted 3 hours and 24 minutes: the 12th longest tour match in the Open Era. Her performance at the tournament was considered an excellent end to a modest season for Sharapova.
Sharapova ended the year as number 5 on the official WTA tour rankings, her fourth year in a row with a top 5 finish. However, for the first time since 2004, she did not finish the year as the number one Russian; that was Svetlana Kuznetsova, who was ranked world number two. She also won just one title (at San Diego), the first time she had failed to win at least two since 2002 (when she played just three WTA matches).
2008
After beating Anna Chakvetadze in an exhibition match in Singapore, Sharapova reached the final of the J B Group Classic exhibition event, where she lost to Venus Williams 6-4 6-3 in the final.
She has been seeded fifth at the Australian Open (her lowest seeding at a Grand Slam since the 2004 US Open), where she has been handed a very tough draw. In the first round, Sharapova defeated Jelena Kostanic Tosic from Croatia 6-4 6-3. She then met former world number one Lindsay Davenport in what was expected to be a tough test, but Sharapova won easily 6-1 6-3. In the third round, Sharapova defeated compatriot Elena Vesnina 6-3 6-0, setting up a fourth round match with compatriot and 11th seed Elena Dementieva.
Personal life
Sharapova with Andy Roddick at the Foundation Tennis Exhibition (December 2007)Sharapova was born into a family who moved from Homel, Belarus, to Siberia, Russia, in 1986, after the Chernobyl nuclear accident. She was born the following year in Nyagan, Russia.
Sharapova’s father, Yuri Sharapov, brought her to the United States when she was seven years old, to attend the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Her mother, Yelena, who could not come with them because of visa restrictions, followed a few years later. Sharapova has lived in the United States since then, but retains her Russian citizenship.
Until recently, Sharapova lived most near the IMG training facility in Bradenton. She now lives in Manhattan Beach, California.
Sharapova is good friends with other tennis players on the WTA tour: childhood friend and fellow Russian Maria Kirilenko, French player Tatiana Golovin, Serbian player Jelena Janković and Slovak Daniela Hantuchova. She has called actress Camilla Belle her best friend.
Awards
See: WTA Awards
2003
Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Newcomer of the Year
2004
WTA Player of the Year
WTA Most Improved Player of the Year
2005
ESPY Best Female Tennis Player
Named the country’s best female player for the year by Russia’s tennis federation
Master of Sports of Russia
Prix de Citron Roland Garros
2006
Named the country’s best female player for the year by Russia’s tennis federation
Whirlpool 6th Sense Player of the Year
2007
ESPY Best Female Tennis Player
ESPY Best International Female Athlete
ESPN Hottest Female Athlete
Endorsements and media publicity
Current:
Canon Inc. - Sharapova promotes both their office and camera products. She has appeared in many of their ads and commercials.
Colgate
Gatorade - energy drink
Land Rover - In April 2006, Sharapova signed a three-year deal to endorse their vehicles. One source with knowledge of the deal said it was worth approximately U.S. $2 million per year. Sharapova gets a free Land Rover Range Rover Sport in Florida and a chauffeured Land Rover Discovery wherever she wants.
Nike Inc. - Sharapova has been known to wear somewhat eccentric or revealing outfits from Nike on court, best exemplified by a Breakfast at Tiffany’s-inspired dress at the 2006 U.S. Open, which many admired for its use of sequins and futuristic neckline. She also has been featured in several Nike marketing campaigns, including one advertisement in 2006 that has her walking and riding through the streets of New York City and Arthur Ashe Stadium while everyone around her sings “I Feel Pretty” until she returns a serve with her trademark loud grunt.
Parlux Fragrances, Inc.- Sharapova has created her own fragrance.
Prince Sports, Inc. - Sharapova has committed to a “lifetime” of sponsoring the only tennis racket brand she’s used as a pro. The endorsement deal will last until the end of her playing career and beyond.[8]
Samantha Thavasa- Fashion.
Sony Ericsson- Signed a 4 year deal with the cell phone company, and sponsor of the WTA tour, in January of 2008.
TAG Heuer - In December 2004, she signed a deal with Swiss sports watch TAG Heuer to become their latest “sport and glamour” ambassador. She is joined by other members of the “Dream Team” of brand ambassadors at TAG Heuer which include, Jeff Gordon, Sarah Fisher, Tiger Woods, Uma Thurman and Brad Pitt.
Tropicana - orange juice
Former:
Honda- A one year deal from 2004-2005, only in Japan.
Motorola
Sharapova’s endorsements have earned her considerably more than she has won in tournament play. In June 2005, Forbes magazine listed her as the highest-paid female athlete in the world, with annual earnings of over U.S. $18 million. (CBS, the American television network, reported in August 2006 that the figure is over U.S. $20 million.) The majority is made from endorsements and sponsorships. In a later interview, she said, “You know, one of the greatest things about being an athlete and, you know, making money is realizing that you can help, you know, help the world, and especially children, who I absolutely love working with.”
In 2005 during a photo shoot for Canon, a lewd photo was taken of Sharapova without her knowledge by Japanese advertising agency Dentsu. The company currently has a lawsuit related to this incident.[9]
Sharapova is visible in and outside of the court for her looks. Sharapova posed in a six-page bikini photoshoot spread in the 2006 issue of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, annual magazine that debuted on Valentine’s Day, along with 25 scantily-clad supermodels. Sharapova joined the ranks of other athletes who have previously appeared in the publication. In April 2005, Sharapova was listed by People Magazine as among the 50 most beautiful celebrities in the world.
In 2006, Maxim magazine named Sharapova the hottest athlete in the world for the fourth consecutive year.
In a poll run by Britain’s FHM magazine, Sharapova was voted the seventh most eligible bachelorette.[10] Voting took into consideration both “wealth and looks.”
Product endorsement and equipment
Sharapova during her second-round match at the 2007 Australian Open.Sharapova’s first racquet (before she entered the professional circuit) was one given to her by a family friend.
Sharapova used the Prince Tour Diablo for part of 2003 and then used several different Prince racquets until the U.S. Open. She gave the racquet she used in the 2004 Wimbledon final to Regis Philbin when taping Live with Regis and Kelly. Sharapova began using the Prince Shark MP at that tournament and had a major part in the production of the Shark racquet. She then switched to the Prince O3 White racquet in January 2006.[11] She endorses Nike accessories, apparel, and footwear. She is well known for designing her tennis outfits, her most memerable being her 2006 nighttime US Open dress, inspired by Audrey Hepburn’s look from Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
Activism
On February 14, 2007, Sharapova was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and donated US$100,000 to UNDP Chernobyl-recovery projects. She is planning on traveling back to the area after Wimbledon in 2008.
Quotations
I am not the next anyone; I’m the first Maria Sharapova.
Announcer (after Sharapova received the 2007 Australian Open runner-up trophy): And I’m sure you have a few words to say.
Sharapova: A few more than the games I won today.
At the press conference after losing the 2007 Australian Open final: You mean my speech was better than my game today?
After a defeat by Serena Williams in the 2007 Australian Open final: I look forward to playing her many more times - and winning a few, I hope.
When asked at the press conference after the 2006 U.S. Open final about her father’s illegal signaling and feeding her during the match: I believe, at the end of the day, personally, my life is not about a banana.[12]
When questioned about her on-court grunting at the 2006 Australian Open: I know this is your job. But take your notepads, take your pencils down, take your grunt-o-meters down, the fashion police, put it all away and just watch the match. [13]
Reporter (after Sharapova won her second round at the 2007 French Open): So, do you feel when you get back on court after not hitting balls, do you actually feel stronger and faster as a result?
Sharapova: No, I feel terrible. I feel like a cow on ice. Especially on clay.[14]
I’ve been playing against older and stronger competition my whole life. It has made me a better tennis player and able to play against this kind of level despite their strength and experience.[15]
When I was working my way to the top of tennis, I didn’t say I was number two, I said I wanted to be number one.[16]
I am both an athlete and a businesswoman.
A great tennis career is something that a 15-year-old normally doesn’t have. I hope my example helps other teens believe they can accomplish things they never thought possible.[17]
Sharapova told Sports Illustrated: People seem to forget that Anna Kournikova isn’t in the picture anymore. It’s Maria-time now.