Career highest singles ranking: number 1
Born: April 19, 1987 in Nyagan, Siberia, Russia
Resides: Bradenton, Florida, USA
Height: 6' 2" Weight: 130lbs

Maria is coached by her father, Yuri Sharapov and her hitting partner is Michael Joyce. She began playing tennis in Europe at age four and was soon discovered by tennis legend Martina Navratilova. At age nine, Maria and her father moved to Florida to train at Nick Bollettieri’s Tennis Academy in Bradenton. Maria's mother stayed in Europe for two years due to a visa issue. After playing junior tournaments several years, Maria Sharapova joined the WTA Tour April 19, 2001 and quickly grew attention for her marketable looks and the scream she makes when striking the tennis ball.

From the start Maria enjoyed success in several ITF tournaments (lower level WTA Tour tournaments) as she won a handful of these tournaments in 2002 and 2003. But it was in the summer of 2004 that Maria Sharapova became famous after winning Wimbledon, the most important tournament in tennis. Maria is signed with IMG Models and IMG Sports and she enjoys fashion, travel, books, stamp collecting and art.