Maria Sharapova From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Maria Sharapova Nickname(s) Masha (diminutive) Country Russia Residence Bradenton, Florida, USA Date of birth April 19, 1987 (1987-04-19) (age 22) Place of birth Nyagan, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[1] Weight 59 kilograms (130 lb) [1] Turned pro April 19, 2001 Plays Right-handed; two-handed backhand Career prize money US$13,146,099 Singles Career record 336–79 (81.0%) Career titles 21 WTA Highest ranking No. 1 (August 22, 2005) Current ranking No. 13 (March 8, 2010) Grand Slam results Australian Open W (2008) French Open SF (2007) Wimbledon W (2004) US Open W (2006) Major tournaments WTA Championships W (2004) Doubles Career record 23–17 Career titles 3 Highest ranking No. 41 (June 14, 2004) Australian Open 2R (2003, 2004) US Open 2R (2003) Last updated on: October 5, 2009. Maria Yuryevna Sharapova (Russian: Мари́я Ю́рьевна Шара́пова​ (help·info), Mariya Yur’evna Shara'pova [pronounced sha-RA-po-va[citation needed]] Russian pronunciation: [mɐˈrʲijə ʂɐˈrapɐvə]; born April 19, 1987) is a former World No. 1 Russian professional tennis player and three time Grand Slam singles champion.[2] As of February 22, 2010, she is ranked World No. 13. When Sharapova was six, she and her father moved from their life of poverty in Russia to the United States, to enroll her in the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy. After rising rapidly through the junior and professional ranks in the years that followed, Sharapova won her first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in 2004 at the age of 17. In the two years that followed, Sharapova won eight titles on the WTA Tour and had two brief stints as the World No. 1. However, she lost all five Grand Slam semifinals she played during this period. She ultimately won her second Grand Slam title at the 2006 US Open. In 2007, a right shoulder injury forced Sharapova to withdraw from numerous tournaments; this was partially responsible for her dropping out of the top five on the WTA world rankings for the first time in three years. Although she won her third Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in early 2008 and returned to the World No. 1 position later in the year, her shoulder needed surgery in October 2008. Sharapova was away from the sport for ten months until May 2009, which caused her ranking to drop out of the top 100. Since returning, Sharapova's ranking has recovered to within the top 15. Sharapova's public profile extends beyond tennis. She has been featured in a number of modeling assignments, including a feature in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Sharapova was the most searched-for athlete on Yahoo! in both 2005 and 2008.[1][3][4] Since February 2007, she has been a United Nations Development Project Goodwill Ambassador, concerned specifically with efforts in Chernobyl to recover from the 1986 nuclear disaster.