TASS DOSSIER. On February 26, 2020, Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova announced her retirement.
Maria Yuryevna Sharapova was born on April 19, 1987 in Nyagan (Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug, now Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug - Ugra) in the family of Yuri Viktorovich and Elena Petrovna Sharapov. Parents moved to the district from Gomel (Belarusian SSR, now Belarus) after the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which occurred in April 1986 in Ukraine. Since 1989, the family lived in Sochi (Krasnodar Territory). At the age of four, Maria Sharapova began playing tennis under the guidance of her father. In the fall of 1991, she began training with the famous specialist Yuri Yudkin.
Sports career
In 1993, having arrived with her father in Moscow, Sharapova attended an open lesson with American tennis player Martina Navratilova and earned high praise from her for her play. Following Navratilova’s advice, in 1994 Yuri Sharapov moved to the United States with his daughter. In 1996, she began training at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy (Bradenton, Florida).
In 2000, 13-year-old Sharapova won the Eddie Herr International Youth Tournament in Bradenton (named after its creator, held since 1987). At the same time, she won the age category, where her competitors were 16-year-old tennis players.
In April 2001, Sharapova received professional status. In January 2002, she reached the final of the junior tournament of the Australian Open (Melbourne), but lost to the Czech Barbora Strycova. In March of the same year, Maria Sharapova made her debut in the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) tournament in Indian Wells (California, USA). In the first round she beat American Bree Rippner, but in the second round she lost to her compatriot Monica Seles. In the summer of 2002, Sharapova reached the junior final of the Wimbledon tournament, but lost to another Russian, Vera Dushevina.
In January 2003, 15-year-old Sharapova successfully passed the qualifying stage and made her debut in the main draw of the Australian Open, but lost in the first round to the representative of the Czech Republic, Klara Koukalova. In October of the same year, Sharapova won her first WTA tournament, defeating Hungarian Aniko Kapros in the final of the Japan Open (Tokyo). At the end of 2003, she was recognized as the best newcomer of the season by the Women's Tennis Association.
In July 2004, at the age of 17, Sharapova became the first and only Russian woman to win the Wimbledon tournament. In the final, she defeated American Serena Williams. In November of the same year, Sharapova won the final WTA Championship in Los Angeles, defeating Serena Williams again in the decisive match. Subsequently, she auctioned off one of the prizes - a sports car - and sent the $54 thousand received to a fund to help children who suffered in 2004 as a result of the terrorist attack in Beslan (North Ossetia). At the end of 2004, Sharapova was recognized by the WTA as the best tennis player of the season.
In August 2005, she topped the WTA rating list for the first time in her career.
In September 2006, she excelled at the US Open, defeating Belgian Justine Henin-Hardenne in the final.
In January 2008, Sharapova became the only Russian woman to win the Australian Open: in the decisive match, she defeated Serbian tennis player Ana Ivanovic. In February of the same year, she made her debut with the Russian national team in the Fed Cup, winning two matches and contributing to the victory in the quarterfinals over the Israeli team (in September, the Russians won this tournament; Sharapova did not take part in the final series of games, but is also considered the winner of the Fed Cup ).
In June 2012, she won the French Open, defeating Italian Sara Errani in the decisive match. This result allowed her to become the only Russian tennis player to win the four largest annual tennis tournaments: the Australian, French and US Opens, as well as Wimbledon (Grand Slam tournaments).
On July 27, 2012, Sharapova became the standard bearer of the Russian national team, carrying the country’s flag at the opening of the XXX Summer Olympic Games in London. At the end of the tennis tournament, she won a silver medal, losing to Serena Williams in the final.
On February 7, 2014, Sharapova took part in one of the final stages of the torch relay of the XXII Olympic Winter Games (Sochi), carrying the torch through the Fisht stadium.
In June 2014, Sharapova again excelled at the French Open, defeating Romanian Simona Halep in the decisive match.
In May 2020, she won the WTA tournament in Rome (Italy), defeating Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro in the final.
The first success of singer Diana Sharapova
In 2003, Sharapova moved to Kazakhstan to the city of Almaty.
There she began her creative activity. The meeting with Denis Belyaev and Alexander Malovo turned out to be fateful for the singer. Together they founded the N**** [African-American] group. The first performance took place in the summer of 2003. “N****” [African-Americans] gained popularity quite quickly. The date June 6 is considered by the group members to be the official birthday of “N****” [African-Americans]. Almost at the same period of time, Sharapova opened her own recording studio. This allowed "N****s" [African-Americans] to be free to record their own songs without any time constraints.
In 2010, the singer was among the participants in the Kazakh TV show “Ekizhuldyz”, which is similar to the Russian show “Two Stars”. Paired with Anuar Nurpeisov, Diana almost reached the final. According to the results of the competition, the couple received the Audience Award. Both artists almost immediately gained wild popularity in Kazakhstan. Soon after this, the singer began collaborating with composer Erkesh Shakeyev.
In 2011, Sharapova decided to try her hand as a vocalist, becoming a participant in the New Wave competition. At that time, luck did not smile on the girl and she did not make it to the final stage.
Doping scandal, disqualification, return to tennis
On March 7, 2020, at a specially convened press conference, Sharapova announced that meldonium was detected in a doping test taken from her on January 26 of the same year during the Australian Open. According to Sharapova, she has been taking this metabolic drug since 2006. However, she did not know that since January 1, 2020, meldonium has been included in the list of prohibited substances by the World Anti-Doping Agency. After the publication of this information, a number of companies terminated advertising contracts concluded with the Russian tennis player.
In June 2020, Sharapova was banned for two years by the International Tennis Federation, but appealed the decision. In October of the same year, she was temporarily excluded from the updated WTA rankings (by that time she was ranked 93rd in it; this decision was explained by the fact that Sharapova took part in a small number of tournaments during the season). In the same month, the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne reduced the Russian woman's ban from competition from two years to 15 months.
The athlete returned to the court on April 26, 2020 at the WTA tournament in Stuttgart (Germany): in the first round she beat Italian Roberta Vinci.
In October 2020, Sharapova won the WTA tournament in Tianjin (China). In the final, she defeated the representative of Belarus, Arina Sabalenka.
In 2017-2020 took part in nine Grand Slam tournaments, but was never able to advance beyond the fourth round. During her last appearance at the Australian Open (January 20 - February 2, 2020), Sharapova was eliminated in the first round, losing to Croatia's Donna Vekic. As of February 26, 2020, she was ranked 373rd in the WTA rankings.
In total, she won 36 WTA tournaments in singles and three in doubles. In total, she topped the Women's Tennis Association rating list for 21 weeks. Throughout her career, she has earned more than $38 million in prize money.
Diana Sharapova's childhood and family
Diana was born in the capital of Uzbekistan in a family where, in addition to her, two older brothers grew up.
At the age of six, her parents, noticing that their daughter had a talent for music, enrolled her in a school with a musical focus. There she learned to play the flute and piano, and also learned the basics of choral conducting. At the age of fourteen, together with Dmitry Levin, the young vocalist recorded her first song in Uzbek, “Remember Me.” The lyrics of the song belong to DJ PILIGRIM, and the music belongs to the famous composer Farukh Zakirov, lead singer of the group “Yalla”. The authors themselves were surprised at how popular the composition performed by Diana became.
Diana Sharapova and the group "N****" [African-Americans]
After graduating from a specialized school, the girl became a student at the Khamza Music College in Tashkent. There Diana received a specialty in pop vocals. During her studies, she often visited recording studios, where she worked as a backing vocalist. During this time, Sharapova mastered the profession of a sound engineer and sound producer. Upon receiving her diploma, the girl was already a co-owner of a recording studio. It should be noted that she not only managed to get a honors diploma, but also graduated from college a year earlier.
Social activity
In 2007, Sharapova became a goodwill ambassador for the UN Development Program and donated $100 thousand to its projects related to overcoming the negative effects of the Chernobyl disaster. Subsequently, in collaboration with this organization, she provided financial support to students from regions of Belarus affected by the consequences of Chernobyl.
In 2012, it launched sales of chewing marmalade and other sweets under its own brand – Sugarpova. Products are sold in more than 25 countries around the world. Part of the profits is transferred to the Maria Sharapova Foundation: it provides assistance to young people living in areas affected by the Chernobyl disaster.
Personal life of Diana Sharapova
Diana got married.
Her husband is the famous showman Roman Mironov. In 2013, a son, Alex, appeared in the family. Diana, a month and a half after the birth of her child, again appeared on stage as part of “N****” [African-Americans]. While participating in “The Voice,” Diana strived with all her heart to go to Almaty, where her mother left the singer’s son. Diana loves dogs. An Airedale terrier dog named Lastena lived in her house for a long time. Recently a pet died.
It is known that the application form for Sharapova’s participation in the show “The Voice” was sent by her husband. He supported his talented wife throughout the competition.
After the second round, the singer gave Agutin a domra. To her surprise, he knew how to treat her properly. Leonid took the instrument correctly and played it with ease.
Screaming Cinderella
Maria first picked up a racket when she was barely four years old, and already at the age of six the girl played with Martina Navratilova at a master class in Moscow. Experts noted her high abilities and advised her parents to send the girl to the Tennis Academy, which raises talented child athletes. For the sake of his daughter’s career, her father took her to distant Florida. The years of study were not easy for the girl, but they allowed her to develop a tough and unbending character.
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“My fighting qualities emerged at a very young age. I was lucky to do what I did and get amazing opportunities. I had partners who helped me travel to tournaments. I knew that not all children were so lucky. So I worked my ass off. I saw how difficult it was for my mother to get a visa to come to us. I saw how difficult it was for my father to find a job. I saw how hard money was for everyone - whether it was one dollar or a million dollars. So my fighting qualities are a kind of continuation of my work ethic,” Sharapova said in one of her interviews.
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It was during this period that Maria developed her own style of playing. Every time she hits the ball, she screams loudly, which in her most emotional moments resembles the roar of a jet engine. They say that her screams unsettle and irritate her rivals. But Sharapova is not going to adapt to anyone. She claims that this style greatly helps her concentrate on the court.
"Shazza, go"! Maria Sharapova and her path to the top
The Russian tennis player is the owner of a “career slam” in singles - first prizes in all Grand Slam tournaments.
Sharapova
won more than 39 WTA tournaments in singles.
Awarded the title “Honored Master of Sports”.
Maria is one of the world leaders in earnings from advertising projects among athletes.
BIOGRAPHY AND SPORTS CAREER
Maria Sharapova
born on April 19, 1987 in the Siberian outback, the city of Nyagan. Father Yuri and mother Elena are from Belarus. Literally a couple of months before their daughter was born, they moved to Nyagan. The move was connected with the parents’ desire to give birth to a girl in an ecologically clean area, since their native Belarusian Gomel was in critical proximity to the radiation Chernobyl region. A little way later, the family moved from Siberia to warmer climes, closer to the sea, to Sochi.
Already at the age of 4, little Masha picked up her first racket, which was given to her by the world-famous tennis player Yevgeny Kafelnikov. The girl’s father was then friends with the famous athlete’s parents.
When the girl was 6 years old, she met the legendary tennis player Martina Navratilova on the court, who was conducting a master class for children. It was Martina who advised Mashenka’s parents to send their daughter to an American tennis school. Dad Yuri, who was very serious about developing his daughter’s sports career, did not miss the opportunity to take advantage of the advice, and already in 1995, Masha and her dad went to the USA. The girl entered the tennis academy in Bradenton. But in America, everything was not so rosy for the young athlete. Constant training, the language barrier, school - all this was very exhausting for the girl. It was then that Sharapova developed her steely character.
In 2001, Maria Sharapova took part in the adult tennis tournament in Saratos. The young tennis player was only 14 years old! It was then that Sharapova's professional career began. The defeat at the first adult tournament only provoked the tennis player, and a year later she won.
From an early age, Maria Sharapova has been distinguished by her special style of play - she accompanies every blow with a loud scream. Such sound accompaniment of each blow simply infuriates the tennis player’s rivals. Experts have even measured Sharapova's screams in decibels and just imagine, some of Sharapova's thunderous serves are equal to 100 decibels, which in turn can be compared to the roar of a jet engine. The tennis player herself is amused by the reaction of her rivals to her peculiar style of play, because some lose precisely because of nervous overstrain after such a loud attack. In addition to the loud accompaniment of each of her games, Maria is distinguished by the fact that she is equally proficient in both her right and left hands, which gives her a significant advantage on the court.
2004 is Maria Sharapova's finest hour - she becomes the winner of the Wimbledon tournament, defeating the queen of the court, Serena Williams, on the court.
Maria Sharapova was forced to miss the 2008/2009 season after suffering an injury and subsequently surgery on her shoulder.
In 2010, Maria triumphantly returned to big-time sports, winning several high-profile victories at once.
In the summer of 2012, Maria Sharapova was honored to carry the Russian flag at the opening ceremony of the Olympics.
Maria Sharapova is successful not only in the world of sports, but also in show business. In the summer of 2013, she presented her accessories brand “Sugarpova” to the world community.
Among other things, the owners of modeling agencies are very interested in Maria; with such parameters, the girl could easily achieve significant results on the catwalk.
In 2006, Maria Sharapova was named the most beautiful athlete of our time according to Sports Illustrated.
In 2013, Maria Sharapova entered the Forbes list for the 9th time. The athlete's fortune was estimated at $29 million. She became one of the highest paid athletes in the world.
In 2020, Maria Sharapova found herself at the center of a doping scandal. And it began, paradoxically, with the personal recognition of the athlete herself. At a press conference called by Sharapova, the tennis player told the press that for 10 years she has been taking meldonium, which was not previously banned. But on January 1, 2020, new rules were introduced, but Maria, absentmindedly, never became familiar with them, continuing to take meldonium. After such a recognition, a whole scandal broke out around Russian sports; a number of athletes were suspended from participation in the Olympic Games and Paralympics. The Russian scandal was followed by menacing comments from the Western press. The majority simply condemned the athlete. Maria Sharapova was suspended from tennis for a long 2 years, but as a result of litigation in the arbitration court, Maria managed to reduce this period to 15 months.
In the winter of 2020, as part of the confectionery brand “Shugarpova”, jointly with Jeff Rubin, Maria presented the public with premium sweets - chocolate and marmalade. For now, sweets from Maria Sharapova can only be bought in Russia - Moscow and St. Petersburg.
ABOUT PERSONAL
Maria Sharapova and Alexander Gilks
Maria Sharapova
met with world celebrities such as Adam Levine, lead singer of Maroon 5, basketball player Sasha Vujacic. In the spring of 2013, rumors appeared in the media about the tennis player’s affair with her court partner Grigor Dimitrov. Previously, the Bulgarian tennis player met with another tennis player Serena Williams. In the summer of 2020, the couple broke up, officially confirming the end of their relationship.
Recently, Maria admitted that she was dating American businessman Alexander Gilkes, who is also a member of the board of the New York Academy of Arts.
Even more interesting articles on the GoProSport website
Author of the article Anna Kostromina
Adam Levine, 2005
Masha celebrated her coming of age at the luxury New York club Hiro, where she met Adam Levine. The connection with the leader of the pop-rock group Maroon 5 did not turn out to be strong. The young princess of tennis refused to shed her frog skin. This is if you relish Levin’s words that in bed Sharapova was no different from a “dead frog.” But even this Russian woman fell into Adam’s heart: after the breakup, the singer suppressed the pain with antidepressants for another month.
Posted by Adam Levine (@adamlevine) Jun 17, 2020 at 3:01 PDT
