Maria Sharapova is a Russian professional tennis player and her estimated net worth is around 135$ million.
Early life
Maria Yuryevna Sharapova was born on April 19, 1987 in Nyagan, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union. Her parents moved there from Belarus after the Chernobyl accident in 1986.
She was very little when she was first introduced to tennis. One of her father’s friends gave her the first racquet and she started to play tennis with her father in the park. Slowly she began to express extreme talent and love for the game, so her parents signed her up for tennis lessons.
She began her practicing with a tennis veteran and little Maria instantly impressed him with her good coordination and skill.
Maria began practicing tennis more seriously in the following years, and soon her talent caught the eye of coaches. It was recommended to her father that she should start training at the IMG Academy in Florida where all of the great players practiced before turning pro.
Her father borrowed money to pay for the trip to the USA and none of them knew a single word of English. To support him and his daughter he did various jobs. Maria had to wait until she was 9 to finally join the academy but after she was old enough she got a contract with IMG.
Professional tennis career
She started competing on tournaments when she was only thirteen years old. She played on numerous tournaments and showed good results. Her first titles and paychecks came soon after that. She started winning tournaments and her first bigger win was at the Japan Open Tennis Championships.
She was only 17 at the time. By 2005 she was the number one tennis player in women category. The media went wild for the tall blond that had more than amazing playing skills. She became the spokesperson for many famous brands and appeared on the covers of various magazines.
Most of her net worth comes from staggering prizes that come with tournament wins. Her average prize win is around 36$ million and by now she has one more than few. Her estimated annual earnings are around 18$ million and in the Forbes list she was at number 29 in 2011.
She appeared in commercials for many big brands. She is sponsored by Nike, Tiffany jewelry and Canon. Her character was also used in tennis video games and she has contracts with Rene Lacoste and Fred Perry. Maria also has her own candy line that is called Sugarpova and big part of the earning goes to her charity foundation.
Her charity foundation endorses many causes and she is even the Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Development Program. She also donated money for the Chernobyl recovery mission, to whom she is personally connected because her family moved to Russia to avoid the negative effect of the accident in 1986.
In 2016 she failed a drug test that ended up with suspension from the tennis federation. She also injured her shoulder several times and her ranking on the lists has been affected, but there is no doubt that her achievements are already impressive. Because of her suspension she won’t be able to play again until April 2017.
Personal life
Sharapova is now single and many famous magazines declared her as one of the most desirable bachelorettes out there. She has briefly dated Adam Levine and a basketball player Sasha Vujačić. Her latest relationship has been with tennis player Grigor Dimitrov but the relationship ended in 2015.
The couple was even engaged but it seems like we will have to wait some more to see her walk the aisle. She is currently living in Bradenton, Florida and she is in some way connected to Florida since she has lived there since she was only 7 years old.
Maria loves her Russian roots and often visits her homeland and even competes on the tournaments there. Even though she doesn’t remember much about Russia she still speaks Russian with her parents.
When she was still young, at the age of 7, she was forced to live with only her father while her mother was in Russia. Her mother couldn’t get the Visa so she hadn’t seen her for almost two years. Maria often says that she hoped that by the time she is 25, that she will have a family and kids.
She also never could imagine herself playing until 30 but she is in love with the court and that love for her never stops. She is also a fashion lover and even though she is currently not on the court, she still stays active to maintain her condition.
Quick summary:
Full Name: Maria Yuryevna Sharapova
Date of Birth: April 19, 1987
Birth Place: Nyagan, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Age: 30 years
Profession: professional tennis player
Height: 1.88 m
Weight: 75 kg
Net worth: 135$ million
