tennis championship. She was the third youngest champion in Wimbledon’s
118-year history. This success quickly made her one of the world’s best-know sports celebrities.
Born in 1987 in a small Siberian town, Maria started hitting tennis balls at the age of four. Her first tennis teacher was her father, Yuri Sharapov. When Maria was nine, she and her father moved to America. She went to a special tennis school in Florida, where she practiced every day. Maria’s mother had to stay at home in Russia. Maria didn’t see her for two years. She missed her mother and her family. But now this tall, good-looking young woman is the Number 2 player in the world.
Playing tennis is not Maria’s only interest. She does not go to high school but she studies all her school subjects through an internet school. She enjoys reading. The Sherlock Holmes stories are among her favorite books. Her other off-court interests are fashion, singing, dancing and movies. In 2005, Maria designed her tennis dress for the championships, and she produced a new perfume.
However, Maria’s main love is still tennis. She often plays charity matches to raise money for people in need, and she practises hard to be a champion. ‘Everyone’s trying to beat the world’s Number 2 player,’ she says. ‘It’s absolutely normal. But I want to beat them as well. I love the competition.’
Maria Sharapova