Maria Sharapova was born on April 19, 1987 in Nyagan, a town in western Siberia, where her parents, Yuri and Yelena, had fled from Belarus a year earlier to avoid radiation from Chernobyl. Still too close to the disaster site, her family left their home as refugees again when she was two-years-old. In 1989, the Sharapovs (Maria uses the feminine Sharapova) settled for a while in the Black Sea town of Sochi, known then as a resort village and home of Russian tennis light, Yevgeny Kafelnikov. Yuri had been an engineer in Nyagan. But as the family bounced from on home to the next, he did anything he could just to keep them together.
When she was 4 years old, a chance encounter changed her life. She discovered tennis after her fourth birthday, when a family friend, Kafelnikov's father, gave her one of his son's old Dunlop tennis racquets. The die was cast. Maria hardly ever let that cut-down, cracked, destrung racquet out of her hand from the moment she picked it up. Every day she hit balls against the side of the house.

Two years later, she was performing at a tennis clinic when another tennis champion changed her life. Martina Navratilova was in the building and she was flabbergasted by the talent of the 6-year-old. She went to her father, Yuri, and recommended that he take his daughter to the world-famous Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida.

SINGLES
 
Winner (10 WTA Tour): 2005 - Tokyo [Pan Pacific], Doha, Birmingham; 2004 - Birmingham, Wimbledon, Seoul, Tokyo [Japan Open], Season-Ending Championships; 2003 - Tokyo [Japan Open], Quebec City; 2002 - ITF/Gunma-JPN, ITF/Vancouver-CAN, ITF/Peachtree City-USA.
Finalist (1): 2005 - Miami.
Semifinalist (10): 2005 - Australian Open, Indian Wells, Rome, Wimbledon, US Open, Beijing; 2004 - Memphis, Beijing; 2003 - Birmingham, Luxembourg.
Quarterfinalist (7): 2005 - Berlin, Roland Garros, Los Angeles, Moscow; 2004 - Roland Garros, San Diego; 2003 - Shanghai.

DOUBLES

Winner (3): 2004 - Birmingham (w/Kirilenko); 2003 - Tokyo [Japan Open] (w/Tanasugarn), Luxembourg (w/Tanasugarn).
Final (1): 2004 - Memphis (w/Zvonareva).

2001 - Debuted at ITF/Sarasota-USA

2002 - In third pro event, received WC into Indian Wells unranked, aged 14 years, 10 months; d. No. 302 Rippner in 1r (l. to Seles); debuted on WTA Rankings on March 18 at No. 532; reached final at five consecutive ITF Circuit events, winning first three; received WC into Tokyo [Japan Open] (l. 1r to Gagliardi in 3s); first year-end ranking of No. 186

2003 - Breakthrough season, improving 154 spots to No. 32; qualified for first Grand Slams at Australian Open and Roland Garros (d. Beygelzimer in final qualifying round 86 third set after trailing 76(6) 51); after reaching first Tour SF at Birmingham as a qualifier (d. world No. 15 Dementieva in QF; l. to Asagoe 76 third set), broke into Top 100 on June 16 at No. 88; at Wimbledon, equaled best showing by female WC in reaching 4r (preceded by Garrison-1982, A. Smith-1985 and S. Smith-1998); d. world No. 22 Bovina in 2r and No. 12 Dokic in 3r (career-best win to date) before falling to compatriot Kuznetsova 75 third set; was youngest of five Russians in Wimbledon 4r (a Grand Slam record); extended world No. 2 Clijsters to 3s in Los Angeles 3r; following 2r US Open exit, reached first Tier II QF at Shanghai (l. to Dementieva) then at Tokyo [Japan Open] picked up career-first Tour singles and doubles titles; in singles, d. Kapros in final after trailing 5-2 in third-set tie-break, having held 2 mp at 5-4 third set, becoming youngest winner on Tour in 2003 (aged 16 years, five months, 16 days); won doubles with first-time partner Tanasugarn; extended win streak with Tanasugarn to eight with doubles title at Luxembourg, where she reached singles SF (l. to Clijsters); in final event of season, seeded No. 2 at Quebec City, won second Tour singles title (Sequera ret. in final with left ankle fracture after l. first set 62); on Nov. 3, reached career-high singles ranking of No. 31; on ITF Circuit, won ITF/Sea Island-USA

2004 - Breakthrough season highlighted by first Grand Slam title, Season-Ending Championships and Top 5 finish (one of three Russians in Top 5 year-end rankings); as world No.15 (No.13 seed) in just second career Wimbledon (seventh Grand Slam), d. Eastbourne finalist Hantuchova in 3r, No.31 seed Frazier in 4r (who had beaten Roland Garros champion Myskina in 3r), No.11 seed Sugiyama 57 75 61 in QF (to reach first Grand Slam SF; was five points from defeat in second set), 1999 champion and No.5 seed Davenport 26 76(5) 61 in SF (first Top 5 win of career after trailing 3-1 second set and standing three points from defeat in tie-break), and two-time defending champion and top seed S.Williams 61 64 in final to become lowest-seeded and second-youngest ladies Wimbledon singles champion in Open Era (fourth youngest at all Grand Slams after Hingis-1997 Australian Open, Seles-1990 Roland Garros and Austin-1979 US Open) and third-youngest all-time at 17 years, two months (Hingis was 16 years, nine months in 1997), as well as first-ever Russian Wimbledon champion and second female Russian Grand Slam champion; had won third career title and first on grass just two weeks earlier at Birmingham, d. unseeded No.71 Golovin 46 62 61 in final (third-youngest final in Open Era with combined age of 33 years, five months, behind 1991 San Diego and 1980 Tampa), also winning doubles title (w/Kirilenko); qualified for first season-ending Championships as No.6 seed; in RR portion, d. No.4 Kuznetsova (first win in three meetings) and No.11 Zvonareva, l. to No.2 Mauresmo, qualifying for SF, where she d. No.3 Myskina in 3s (first time in four meetings) and overcame 4-0 deficit in third set of final vs. 2001 champion No.8 S.Williams to win 46 62 64, becoming second debutante to win title (S.Williams-2001); became first player since Davenport in 1999 to win Wimbledon and season-ending Championships in same season; identical S.Williams vs. Sharapova finals at those two events was first since 1989 and only fifth all-time; also won titles as top seed at Seoul (d. Domachowska 61 61 in final) and Tokyo [Japan Open] (d. Washington 60 61 in final for career-first successful title defense); runner-up at Zurich (d. V.Williams in QF and No.5 Dementieva in 3s in SF (first Top 10 win since Wimbledon), l. to No.20 Molik in 3s, ending 12-match win streak, and only loss in a final in career to date); also reached SF at Memphis (l. to Zvonareva), Beijing (l. to Kuznetsova) and Philadelphia (avenged loss to No.13 Molik in 3s in QF, withdrew prior to SF vs. Mauresmo with right shoulder strain) and QF at Roland Garros (first Grand Slam QF, d. 2003 quarterfinalist Zvonareva en route, l. to No.14 Suarez) and San Diego (l. to Myskina, ending 14-match win streak); reached 4r at Indian Wells (l. to Myskina) and Miami (l. to S.Williams), and 3r five other times, incl. Australian Open (l. to Myskina), US Open (win vs. Granville in 1r was 100th of career – l. to Pierce) and Rome (d. No.10 Dementieva for career-first Top 10 win); began year as No.32 , made Top 20 debut at No.19 on April 5 after Miami, Top 10 debut at No.8 on July 5 after Wimbledon, and Top 5 debut at (career-high) No.4 at season's end (November 15); reached career-high No.41 in doubles on June 14; surpassed $1 million in season earnings on July 5 after Wimbledon, and $2 million at season's end, topping the 2004 prize money list with $2,506,263, one of a record five women to earn more than $2 million in 2004; withdrew from Eastbourne and Los Angeles for rest and recovery

2005 STATS

JANUARY - Started season in Melbourne as No.4 seed and reached SF at Australian Open for first time, defeating Karatantcheva, Lee-Waters, Li Na, No.15 seed Farina Elia and No.5 Kuznetsova to reach final four; held three match points in second set against No.7 seed Serena Williams, but was unable to put match away and lost 8-6 in third set; became first Russian woman to reach SF in Melbourne since Natasha Chmyreva in 1975.

FEBRUARY - Captured first career Tier I title at Tokyo [Pan Pacific], defeating World No.1 Davenport in championship match; did not drop a set en route to final, defeating Vento-Kabchi, No.6 seed Likhovtseva and Asagoe; including Tokyo [Japan Open], has now won three titles in five events in Tokyo (two Japan Opens, one Pan Pacific Open); moves to a career-best No.3 in Sony Ericsson WTA Rankings; won ninth career title in 10th final at Doha, defeating No.4 seed Molik in final; did not drop a set in straight sets victories against Dulko, Bartoli and Hantuchova to reach championship match; now has a 13-1 record, including wins in last eight matches.

MARCH - As No.3 seed at Indian Wells, has been career performance at event by reaching SF, defeating wild card Haynes, No.25 seed Safina, No.19 seed Zuluaga and No.20 seed Pierce before surprising 60 60 loss to world No.1 Davenport; fell for first time in Tour final, losing to Clijsters, 63 75 in championship match at Miami - snapping 10-match winning streak in finals; had defeated Daniilidou, Irvin, No.23 Asagoe, No.19 Henin-Hardenne and No.8 Williams during fortnight; a victory over Clijsters in Miami final would have pushed ranking to No.2 in world for first time.

APRIL - Moves to career-high No.2 for first time on April 11 rankings.

MAY - Reached QF in first clay event of season at Berlin, defeating Groenefeld and Peng before straight sets loss to eventual winner, No.12 seed Henin-Hardenne; in second clay event of 2005, reaches SF as top seed at Rome, defeating Medina Garrigues, Pierce and No.9 seed Bovina before three-set loss to No.8 seed Schnyder; would have reached No.1 ranking had she won title in Rome; as No.2 seed at Roland Garros, reaches QF for second year in a row, defeating Linetskaya, wild card Rezai, Chakvetadze and Llagostera Vives before falling to No.10 seed Henin-Hardenne, 64 62.

JUNE - Captured 10th career singles title as top seed at Birmingham, defeating No.3 seed Jankovic in final, 62 46 61; extended grass court winning streak to 17, dating back to last year, after victories against Kremer, No.16 seed Stosur, Daniilidou, No.5 seed Golovin and Jankovic in week-long run.

JULY - As No.2 seed and defending champion at Wimbledon, falls to No.14 seed Venus Williams in SF - ending 22-match grass court winning streak in process; had not dropped a set in victories against Llagostera Vives, Karatantcheva, Srebotnik, No.16 seed Dechy and No.8 Petrova before falling in straight sets vs. Williams; was first loss to Williams in three career meetings; withdrew from San Diego due to low back injury.

AUGUST - As top seed at Los Angeles, reached QF before withdrawal from event after injurying right pectoral muscle; had defeated Kirilenko and No.16 seed Chakvetadze in early matches; would have become 15th player to reach world No.1 ranking on August 15 had she played and won SF match; withdrew from Toronto due to right pectoralis muscle strain; became 15th woman and first from Russia to hold world No.1 ranking on August 22.

SEPTEMBER - Reached SF at US Open for first time as No.1 seed before falling to eventual winner, No.4 seed Clijsters in three sets, 62 67(4) 63; dropped just 12 games to reach QF with victories vs. Daniilidou, Randriantefy, Schruff and Mirza before defeating No.9 seed Petrova in three sets; efforts in New York help return to world's No.1 ranking on September 12; as top seed at Beijing, retired midway through SF match vs. Kirilenko with right pectoral muscle strain, same injury that hampered her during U.S. hard court season; had defeated Peer and Asagoe to reach SF; was trailing Kirilenko 64 21 at time of retirement.

OCTOBER - Withdrew from Filderstadt due to right pectoral strain; as top seed in Moscow debut, reached QF (was trailing Groenefeld 61 42 in 2r before the German suffered left ankle sprain and retired from match, then fell 16 64 75 to unseeded Safina, having led 61 42 herself); withdrew from Philadelphia due to a right thumb sprain.

AWARDS:

• Became 15th woman and first from Russia to hold world No.1 ranking on August 22. • Featured on cover of June 2005 ESPN the Magazine and also on July 2005 issue of Forbes Magazine, where she is listed as the richest female athlete in the world. • Named as one of People Magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People" in 2005. • Captured 2004 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Player of the Year Award, along with Most Improved Player of the Year honors. • Was named as one of the most marketable female athletes by public relations and marketing industries in 2005.
• Along with $1-million in prize money, was presented with a Porsche Cayenne S for winning the 2004 WTA Tour Season-ending Championships
• Following 2004 Wimbledon win, appeared on NBC's Today Show, Live with Regis and Kelly, the Mike and Mike Show on ESPN Radio, Entertainment Tonight, Inside Edition, ESPN's SportsCenter, Fox and Friends, ESPN's Cold Pizza, the CBS Early Show, MTV's TRL (Total Request Live) where she played table tennis; followed by film by crews from Inside Edition, Access Hollywood and the WTA Magazine Show; on July 8, became first tennis player in more than two years to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated in a special double-issue on newstands for two weeks; will appear on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in Los Angeles on July 16
• Featured in August 2004 Vogue Italia
• Nominated for Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award in March 2005 (winner to be announced in May 2005) and was also a nominee for Laureus World Newcomer of the Year Award in 2004
• Was top search on KaZaZZ! Personalized Search Engine during the week ending October 10, 2004, beating out Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Pamela Anderson, New York Yankees, New England Patriots, Christina Aguilera, Tiger Woods, Alicia Keys and Usher
• W/Haynes, Kirilenko, Vaidisova, Stubbs, state Governor Jeb Bush and Capriati (off-court activities only, due to a nagging shoulder injury), participated in a tennis exhibition in Tampa, Fl, December 18, 2004, to raise money for the Florida Hurricane Relief Fund
• In 2003, profiled in W magazine and USA Today, named one of the "coolest girls" in America by YM magazine and 'On the Move' by People Magazine in a September issue, appeared on CBS-TV Craig Kilborn Show November 20
• In 2002, appeared on Teen People's list of 20 teens who will change the world and named by SPORT Magazine as one of 21 athletes to watch for in the 21st Century
• Finalist at 2002 Junior Australian Open