Legends: Maria Sharapova

Maria Sharapova was born April 19, 1987, Nyagan, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, Tyumen, Soviet Union is a professional Russian tennis player.

French national tournament, the winner of a Grand Slam singles title. 

Only among Russians (both women and men), who's 6 times in the finals of a Grand Slam singles title. 

Masha's parents came from Gomel. A few months before the birth of daughters they moved to Siberia due to unfavourable environmental situation due to the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, located in Ukraine, only 100 km from the Centre of Gomel region. Maria started tennis at 4 years, by the time her family already lived in Sochi. Interestingly, the father of Masha, Yuri Viktorovich Sharapov, was friends with Alexander Nikodimovič Kafelnikov, father of Yevgeny Kafelnikov and gave her first racket Eugene. In 6 years (in October 1993), Sharapova had a chance to play with Martina Navratilovoj, when she gave a model lesson of tennis in Moscow. Navratilova, after talent in young tennis player, still quite strongly advised the father to give Masha in American tennis Academy of Nick Bollett′eri. 

Having achieved considerable success during the games at various Tennis Championships, July 3, 2004, Maria won Wimbledon. She beat in the final of the women's single level double winner of this tournament, pool Sereno Williams. As Sharapova became the first rossiânkoj to win Wimbledon. This victory allowed her to become world no. 1-8. 

In January 2008, Sharapova became the face of Sony Ericsson signed an exclusive contract for four years. 

2011 year in sports career by Maria Sharapova began with relatively good performance at the Australian Open is a professional tennis player was able to go out in the fourth round, which easily gave way to a young German tennis player Andrea Petkovic (2-6 3-6). Then after a small break (tennis player withdrew the February tournament in Paris), Sharapova successfully participated at the major tournaments of the American series in Indian Wells, she reached the semi-finals, losing the first rocket world Carolina Wozniacki (1-6 2-6), Miami reached the final, where it lost to Victoria Azarenka had garnered a good form (1-6 4-6). A great success was the victory at a major tournament in Rome the uppermost; win during the tournament, Wozniacki and Azarenka in the final, Sharapova defeated 6-th was avstralijke to Samantha Stosur (6-2 6-4). The end of the season also was a good ground for Mary; the courts of Roland-Gaross it for the second time in his career has reached the semifinals, losing only the future winner of the tournament of the tennis player Li Na (4-6 5-7). Next after French Open tournament Maria became Wimbledon, statement which also proved to be successful: for the first time since 2004, she performed in the final of this tournament, but unlike last Wimbledon finals to take the title.
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