Maria Sharapova

Maria Sharapova, at total Maria Yuryevna Sharapova, (born April 19, 1987, Nyagan, Russia), a Russian tennis player who was among the game's top contenders from the early 21st century, the winner of five Grand Slam titles.

Sharapova started playing tennis as a young kid, and in 1993 she caught the interest of Czech-born American baseball star Martina Navratilova. Following a suggestion by Navratilova, Sharapova and her father moved (1994) into Florida, where she quickly earned a scholarship to a tennis academy. In 2001, at the age of 14, she turned pro.

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