Maria Sharapova aiming to win 2010 U.S. Open
Born on April 19, 1987, in Nyagan, Russia, Maria Sharapova received her first tennis racket when she was four years old, and from then on, there was no looking back. Sharapova enrolled at a Martina Navratilova incepted tennis academy in Moscow, where after displaying some initial promise, she was advised to seek professional coaching at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in America. Thus when Martina was seven, she along with her father, Yuri, moved to Florida, where in 1996, Sharapova entered herself at Bollettieri’s famed training ground which is well known for training the likes of Andre Agassi, Anna Kournikova and Monica Seles. Sharapova faced a tough battle on the road to success as the family was faced with financial attrition and adjust to a foreign country far away from home which was never easy.
Yet the young Russian overcame the odds and rose to prominence in November 2000, when at the tender age of 13, she landed the girls’ Eddie Herr International Junior Tennis trophy. Sharapova then bagged the Rising Star Award, a trophy reserved only for those players who display distinctive talent. The Russian inaugurated her professional career in 2001, and contested her initial Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) competition in 2002 at the Pacific Life event. In 2002, she also made it to the finals of the Wimbledon and Australian Open junior events. 2003 marked Sharapova’s first full tennis season, and she made a swift rise through the ranks, finishing within the top 50 in WTA rankings. That season’s campaign had seen the Russian beauty make her first appearance at the French, Australian and Wimbledon Grand Slam events. Sharapova had also battled her way to victories at the Japan Open and Bell Challenge WTA events, earning herself the WTA Tour Newcomer of the Year award.
Sharapova truly came into her own in 2004 when she managed to fight her way into the semi-finals of the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships and the Cellular South Cup. She also made it to her first Grand Slam singles’ quarterfinals at the year’s French Open at Roland Garros. Sharapova then made waves by taking the prestigious Venus Rosewater Dish by triumphing at the prestigious Wimbledon final, where she demolished the reigning champion Serena Williams at the tender age of just 17. The victory at the All England Club Championships cemented Sharapova’s reputation as a major new force to be reckoned with and her popularity shot up by the mile. The Russian concluded the year after taking several other WTA titles.
In 2005, Sharapova clinched three WTA titles in addition to booking her place at the semi-finals of the Australian Open, the U.S. Open and Wimbledon Championships. The Russian’s solid performances enabled her to make it to the pinnacle of WTA world rankings twice during the year’s campaign. In 2006, she once again crashed out after making it to the semi-final’s of the Australian Open and Wimbledon, but emulated her 2005 U.S. Open showing by winning the trophy this time after overcoming Belgium’s Justine Henin in the final. Sharapova also grabbed four other WTA titles that season, ending the year as the number two player in the world.
The Russian began the 2007 campaign by making it to the final of the Australian Open, where she eventually fell to Serena Williams. The result enabled Sharapova to become WTA world number one, a spot she would retain for nearly two months. Injuries then thwarted Sharapova’s progress for the rest of the year, though she managed to land two titles in addition to reserving a place at the French Open semi finals, her best result at Roland Garros so far. In 2008, Sharapova took the Australian Open trophy, as well as winning two more WTA titles before a shoulder injury ruled her out of a large part of the season. As she continued to recuperate from the injury, Sharapova’s most notable achievement during the 2009 run was a win in Tokyo. Sharapova is now busy sharpening her chances for the upcoming 2010 U.S. Open Grand Slam title.
Meanwhile, thanks to her good looks, Sharapova’s achievements off the court have paralleled her many successes on the professional tour, and she has made the most of the numerous endorsement opportunities knocking incessantly at her door.
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