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Maria Yuryevna
Sharapova
born April 19, 1987 is a Russian professional tennis player. Her
parents are originally from Gomel, Belarus, but moved to Russia
in 1986 in the aftermath of the Chernobyl nuclear accident. Sharapova
was born in Nyagan, Siberia, the following year.
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At
the age of three, Sharapova moved with her family to the resort town
of Sochi, beginning to play tennis at the age of four, using a racquet
given to her by Yevgeny Kafelnikov's father. At age five or six, at
a tennis clinic in Moscow, Sharapova was spotted by Martina Navratilova,
who urged her parents to get her serious coaching in the United States.
At the age of seven she and her father Yuri, who could speak barely
any English, boarded a plane to the USA with only $700. When they
arrived at Miami airport the next morning, her father took her on
the handlebars of a bicycle to the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy
without any notice whatsoever. They arrived at the academy and one
of the coaches checked her out. The story goes that Maria knocked
his hat off with the tennis ball, thereby making a favourable impression.
This led to her obtaining a scholarship. At the age of 9, she was
signed up by a number of sponsors including Prince (racquets), Oakley
and Nike.
In 2004, Sharapova became the second youngest Wimbledon women's champion
in the Open Era (after Martina Hingis) by defeating defending two-time
champion Serena Williams in straight sets (6-1, 6-4). In the process
she also became the first Russian ever to win that tournament.
Sharapova is regarded by many as possessing a natural beauty and figure
and has done some modeling, having signed a contract in November 2003
with IMG Models. She enjoys fashion and is known to read celebrity
magazines. However, she says she does not want to overdo these activities,
preferring to focus on her tennis. She is often compared to Anna Kournikova,
also a Russian Bollettieri student and model. However, Sharapova,
Bollettieri, and Kournikova all reject the comparison. |
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