#WCW: Maria Sharapova

by Ron Sullivan

Born in Russia in 1987, Maria Sharapova moved to the U.S. at an early age and began training at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy. After turning professional at age 14, she burst into the spotlight by winning the 2004 Wimbledon women’s singles title. Sharapova became the 10th woman to earn a career Grand Slam with her French Open win in 2012, and she added a second French crown in 2014. In 2016, she was suspended for two years by the International Tennis Federation following her positive test for a banned substance.

Maria Sharapova claimed her first WTA victory at the 2003 AIG Japan Open and also reached the fourth round at Wimbledon on her first attempt during the same year. Success came in 2004 when she won the singles title there, becoming Russia’s first female Wimbledon champion. At the end of 2004, she added a WTA Championships title to her list of achievements. She became the first Russian woman to ascend to the sport’s top ranking in 2005, and the following year she claimed her second Grand Slam title with a win at the U.S. Open.

Sharapova struggled to regain her consistency after shoulder surgery, but she was back in the Top 20 by the end of 2009, and finished 2011 ranked No. 4 in the world. In June 2012, Sharapova capped her comeback by defeating Sara Errani in the French Open final. The victory made her just the 10th woman to complete a career Grand Slam (wins at all four major tournaments), and allowed her to regain the world’s No. 1 ranking.

At the 2012 Summer Olympic Games—Sharapova’s Olympic debut—she won a silver medal in women’s singles, losing the gold to American tennis star Serena Williams. The Russian continued to play well in subsequent majors, finishing runner-up at the 2013 French Open. However, shoulder problems again took a toll, and not long after a disappointing second-round loss at Wimbledon, she withdrew from action for the remainder of the season.

Regaining momentum in 2014, Sharapova won her second French Open and fifth overall Grand Slam title by defeating Simona Halep. In 2015, she advanced to the Australian Open final and the semifinals of the U.S. Open, before finishing the year ranked No. 4.

Off the court, the gorgeous Sharapova has landed major commercial endorsements with companies like Nike, Avon, Evian, TAG Heuer, Porsche and Tiffany & Co., among others. She was the world’s highest-paid female athlete for several years, with Forbes estimating her earnings at $29.7 million in 2015.

Sharapova’s other business ventures include the 2012 launch of the Sugarpova candy line with Jeff Rubin, the founder of IT’SUGAR. A portion of the sales are donated to the Maria Sharapova Foundation to support her charitable causes.

“It started when I was a little girl in Russia, and my dad would reward me with a lollipop or chocolate after a long day of practice,” she wrote on the Sugarpova website. “It stood out to me then–and still today–that there’s no reason why hard work can’t be rewarded with a little sweet treat. Because the key to a happy, healthy life for me is this idea of Moderation in Moderation–you can 100% have your cake (or candy) and enjoy it, too.”

In her personal life, Sharapova began a relationship with Slovenian basketball player Sasha Vujacic in 2009. After a year of dating, the couple announced that they were engaged in October 2010. During a post-match conference at the 2012 U.S. Open, Sharapova announced that the engagement was off and that her relationship with Vujacic had ended. Afterward, she dated Bulgarian tennis pro Grigor Dimitrov from 2013 to 2015.

Ron Sullivan is the co-founder of the Corner Pub Sports website and PubCast, which can be heard on Friday nights from 8-10pm. He is a die hard Philly fan and (after a few beers) states his opinions without hesitation. Follow him on Twitter @CornerPubRon