Sharapova was born in 1987 to Yuri and Yelena, ethnic Russians, in the town of Nyagan in Siberia, Russia. Previously her parents had lived in Gomel, Belarus, but were compelled to move after the Chernobyl nuclear accident in 1986.

When Sharapova was two, the family moved to Sochi. There, Sharapova‘s father befriended Aleksandre Kafelnikov, whose son Yevgeny would go on to become a Grand Read more...

Sharapova started playing tour events full-time in 2003. She won three qualifying matches at both the Australian Open and the French Open in order to reach the main draw, although she subsequently lost in the first round in both events. At the DFS Classic grass-court event in Birmingham, she reached the semifinals at a main tour event for the first time, defeating top seed and World No. 15 Elena Read more...

Sharapova started the year by reaching the third round of the Australian Open, where she lost to seventh-seeded Anastasia Myskina 6–4, 1–6, 6–2. In each of her next six tournaments, Sharapova lost before the quarterfinals, except at the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships and the Cellular South Cup in Memphis, where she reached the semifinals. Her results meant that she rose Read more...