One of only 10 women in tennis history to achieve a career Grand Slam in singles, Maria Sharapova became the first Russian woman to reach the World No. 1 ranking in 2005. She won her first of five major singles titles in 2004 at Wimbledon, following with titles at the US Open (2006), Australian Open (2008) and twice at Roland-Garros (2012, 2014). While representing Russia, Sharapova was a member of the 2008 Fed Cup championship team and captured the silver medal in singles at the 2012 London Olympics. During her nearly 20-year WTA career, she achieved the World No. 1 ranking five times, was ranked in the top 5 for 408 weeks, and won 36 singles titles.
Maria Sharapova was born on April 19, 1987, in Nyagan Russia. She first was handed a tennis racket by Aleksandr Kafelnikov, father to Yevgney Kafelnikov when she was 4 years old in 1991. At a tennis camp in 1993, Martina Navratilova recommended that Sharapova train with Nick Bollettieri at his academy to hone her skills. By 1995, she was enrolled in the IMG academy, training diligently.
Sharapova made her professional debut in 2001 at age 14, while still competing on the junior circuit, appearing in two major girl's finals. She won her first WTA title in 2003, and won her first major title at Wimbledon the following year, upsetting both Lindsay Davenport and Serena Williams on the way to victory.
A powerful backhand and aggressive serve led to Sharapova having success on all surfaces. She reached a ranking of World No. 1 in 2005, followed by a US Open singles title in 2006.
Sharapova was plagued with shoulder injuries in the next several years, but consistently rebounded with impressive victories, including the 2008 Australian Open title and the 2012 Roland-Garros title and Olympic silver medal after recovering from shoulder surgery. With the Roland-Garros title, she accomplished a career Grand Slam. Her final major title came at Roland-Garros in 2014, after yet another comeback from a shoulder injury.
In January 2016, Sharapova tested positive for Mildronate (commonly known as meldonium), a substance that had been added to the banned substance list, effective January 1, 2016. The failed drug test resulted in a two-year ban for Sharapova which was later reduced to 15 months through appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
After serving her adjusted ban, she returned to the tour in 2017, and in 2018 she reached the quarterfinals at Roland-Garros and achieved a ranking of World No. 21. In 2019, she reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, and competed in her 800th match.
Sharapova announced her retirement from tennis in February of 2020, and has since focused her efforts on her business endeavors. Throughout her career and into retirement, Sharapova has taken on the role of entrepreneur, endorsing and investing in multiple business ventures in the wellness, fashion, and athletic spaces, while also founding and serving as CEO of Sugarpova, a confectionary company.
