Maria Sharapova
 
2008 Pictures 2007 Pictures
Maria Yuryevna Sharápova (born April 19, 1987) is a Russian professional tennis player. The Chernobyl nuclear accident in 1986 compelled Sharapova's parents, Yuri and Yelena, ethnic Russians, to move from Gomel, Belarus, to the town of Nyagan in Siberia, Russia to live with Yelena's father. Maria was born the following year.

Sharapova's father brought her to the United States when she was seven years old, to attend the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Her mother, Yelena, could not come with them because of visa restrictions, and followed two years later. Sharapova has lived in the United States since then, but retains her Russian citizenship. She has a home in Manhattan Beach, California and in early 2008, purchased a penthouse apartment in Netanya, Israel.

Sharapova has won three Grand Slam singles titles. In 2004, she beat Serena Williams to take the Wimbledon title at the age of 17. Two years later, she defeated Justine Henin in the final of the 2006 U.S. Open. At the 2008 Australian Open, she beat Ana Ivanović in the final.

Sharapova has been labeled as a power baseliner by tennis critics and fans. She is noted for having an excellent double-handed backhand and serves, particularly for the power and placement of these shots. She is also noted for having a good forehand. Likewise, critics claim that for her height, Sharapova has decent agility on-court. Being an offensive player, Sharapova is usually able to overpower her opponents or keep them on the run with sharp angles from the baseline. Because of this agressive play, she excels on the fast-playing grass and hard courts, but is not as dangerous on clay (indeed, as of January 2008, she is yet to reach a WTA final on the surface). This is because she is not among the strongest of defensive players. She can lose precision on her groundstrokes when she is put on the run herself, a weakness that the best all-around players will exploit. Sharapova is also not a natural volleyer. Instead, she typically uses a powerful "swinging" volley for net approaches. Sharapova usually serves for placement, but uses enough power on her first and second serve that attacking that stroke is very difficult for her opponents. She has been trying to develop her "all-power" game, while also adding in slice, drop shots and drop volleys.

Due to shoulder injuries, Sharapova adopted a new service action with a shorter backswing after Wimbledon 2007. Her first and second serve became less effective during the majority of the 2007 season. Previously, she had an elongated backswing to generate power on her serve. However, as a trade-off, the swing also placed incredible strain on her shoulder, leading to Sharapova's shoulder injury at the beginning of the 2007 season. With her shoulder injury apparently healed, Sharapova has since returned to her elongated service motion, and her serve has been more effective in 2008.

Sharapova is ambidextrous and played left-handed until she was ten years old, before deciding to play right-handed. Although she almost always employs a right-handed forehand and double-handed backhand, she has one of the most accurate double-handed backhand shots and is known to occasionally hit left-handed shots as a result of her early left-handed training. She has also been criticised for her on-court "grunting," reaching 101 decibels (the volume of a police siren) during a match at Wimbledon 2005.

Sharapova has won every Grand Slam singles title except the French Open. She believes that winning the French Open will be a big challenge because her aggressive game does not suit a clay surface. She has never won a WTA tour singles title on that surface.
       
 

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kirti :
Posted 18 days ago
u'r just genious u'r motivating star for all youngster's.
Avash :
Posted 21 days ago
hi maria, i luv u .... ur da best
love :
Posted 40 days ago
hey nmaria can i have a photo from you you are beautiful and your msn adrees my number is IbI_9@hotmail.de
Ajeet Kumar :
Posted 52 days ago
dear maria wii you please marry me .i wanna have a wild sex with you
anubhav :
Posted 64 days ago
i luv u a lot maria i want to marry u and want to have a wild sex with u
ankit :
Posted 67 days ago
u r very sexy and good luking u r the best
Sabran :
Posted 67 days ago
u r so beauty.if i meet u.that may be my life's unforgettable day and my last day
bharat :
Posted 76 days ago
maria is so beautiful.
Mike25Movilla :
Posted 80 days ago
I love you Maria... You're the best!!!!
shreya :
Posted 82 days ago
hi maria.this is shreya from india.i am ur biggest fan.i love ur gameand the way u present urself.heres wishing u success 4 ur future!
avdal :
Posted 83 days ago
maria u are very beautiful like an angel . I am from (Kurdistan) north of Iraq .u don't know how much i like u. may u be happy,healthy and get many many awards.
avdal :
Posted 83 days ago
maria u are very beautiful like an angel . I am from (Kurdistan) north of Iraq .u don't know how much i like u. may u be happy,healthy and get many many awards.
adith :
Posted 101 days ago
hi..maria I'm really U'r big fan just wann ask U..when you Visit my country for vacation maybe? Indonesia..! I'll be wait
atul kashyap :
Posted 101 days ago
hi maria. congrats for ur victory. hope u will keep ur momentum going.
Shahid :
Posted 102 days ago
Hi Maria, My name is Shahid and I am from Pakistan, I like your game so much, I congratulate on your success of Australian Open, May you win many many more.
rakesh :
Posted 113 days ago
maria u r very beautiful player in the tennis world
reko jr :
Posted 120 days ago
maria u are very beautiful like an angel .u don't know how much i like u. may u be happy,healthy and get many many awards.
vinay kumar :
Posted 121 days ago
hi ! maria, you r my dream girl.i like u & love u. maria ! can u love me? i live many many far to u. maria are u meet with me one time in my life.i love u maria.
faisal :
Posted 181 days ago
hi ! maria, you r my dream girl.i like u & love u. maria ! can u love me? i live many many far to u. maria are u meet with me one time in my life.i love u maria.
SSRII :
Posted 201 days ago
hopes i can be the lucky one to meet and be the friend of you...
karthik :
Posted 202 days ago
u r so smart that i want to marry u i want u to give ur personal mail id and phone number u are so sexy that i want u to make u mother wilthin 10 months
 


 

 

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