"I'm not the 'next' anyone," the Russian tennis phenom Maria Sharapova told Caroline Graham for the London Mail On Sunday (April 21, 2002), well before stunning the sports world by winning the 2004 Wimbledon Grand Slam tennis tournament as a 17-year-old. "I'm the first Maria Sharapova." Sharapova's formidable tennis skills have been turning heads since she was a toddler; so promising were her abilities that her father relocated the family from Russia to the United States to enable his young daughter to attend an elite tennis academy. When Sharapova began competing in international tournaments in her mid-teens, she attracted attention not only because of her ability to compete at the highest level but also because of her habit of crying out loudly from the exertion of striking the ball during matches and because of her physical appearance, which has been celebrated by some reporters as awe-inspiring. While her comely looks, blond hair, and Russian nationality initially led some tennis observers to superficially compare Sharapova to the professional tennis player and sex symbol Anna Kournikova, Sharapova's recent successes--in particular her victory at Wimbledon--have proven that she is more talented and focused than Kournikova ever was. Ranked seventh in the Women's Tennis Association's (WTA) world rankings as of October 2004, Sharapova has won six individual WTA singles titles and four International Tennis Federation (ITF) singles titles. According to the WTA Tour Web site, her overall record in singles matches is an impressive 112-32. Sharapova has been praised by aspiring female tennis professionals, male admirers, and tennis analysts alike. In 2002 the editors of Teen People named her one of 20 teenagers who will change the world, and Sport magazine hailed her as one of 21 athletes to watch in the 21st century.

    The only child of Yelena and Yuri Sharapova, Masha Sharapova was born on April 19, 1987 in the town of Nyagan, in the Siberian region of what was then the Soviet Union. (She is best known outside of Russia as Maria, an Anglicized version of her birth name.) Several months before Maria was born, the Sharapovas, fearing the possibility of radiation poisoning, had moved to Nyagan from Gomel, a city near Chernobyl, the site of a disastrous leak at a nuclear power plant in 1986. In Nyagan Yuri Sharapova worked in the region's oil fields, earning enough money to move his family several years later to the more desirable location of Sochi, a resort town on the Black Sea. In Sochi Yuri found work as an engineer, and the Sharapovas soon became friends with the family of the Russian tennis star Yevgeny Kafelnikov. Yuri Sharapova and Yevgeny's father sometimes played tennis together. When Maria was four-and-a-half years old, Yevgeny's father gave her a tennis racket, and she was soon practicing the sport regularly. Heeding the advice of local tennis coaches, including Yevgeny Kafelnikov's personal coach, Yuri took Maria to Moscow, where the head coach of the Russian Federation tennis team told him that his daughter was "one of the most talented players I have ever seen," as Yuri Sharapova recalled to Caroline Graham. When Martina Navratilova, a legend in women's tennis, played an exhibition game with Sharapova during a Moscow tennis tournament, she came away impressed enough by the young girl to recommend to her father that Sharapova pursue tennis as a career. Navatilova specifically mentioned the Bollettieri Tennis Academy, in Bradenton, Florida, as a place where Sharapova's skills could be ably developed. The Bollettieri Academy is renowned in the tennis world for having groomed such top players as Andre Agassi, Monica Seles, Mary Pierce, and Jim Courier, among others. A short time later, with less than $1,000 of borrowed money in his pockets, Yuri Sharapova took his then-seven-year-old daughter to Bradenton; Yelena Sharapova stayed behind in Russia, working as an accountant for a medical office. A short time after arriving in the United States, Sharapova's father found a construction job in Largo, Florida, near Bradenton. While her father worked to support her, Sharapova continued honing her tennis skills with regular practice, and learned English quickly.

    Sharapova's talent was soon noticed by Marty Newcomer, the mother of Betsy Nagelsen, whose husband, Mark McCormack, was the founder and chief executive officer of International Management Group (IMG), a leading sports and celebrity management and marketing firm. As part of the contract she signed with IMG in 1995, Sharapova was awarded a scholarship to the IMG-owned Bollettieri Tennis Academy. When she was nine years old, Sharapova moved into one of the academy's dormitories, where for a year she lived alongside other tennis pupils, many of them nearly twice her age. "My dad came to see me once a week, but I was mostly by myself," Sharapova recalled to Nick Pitt for the London Sunday Times (June 27, 2004). "I wasn't part of the group [of other pupils] and I wasn't invited to their parties. I was unhappy, but I learnt a lot about myself. It was difficult living by myself and developing my tennis, but I managed to get through it. I learnt to be a better fighter. And I never cried." After a year of staying in the dormitory, Sharapova moved into a house in Bradenton with her father and mother, who had reunited with the family after a two-year separation. By that time Sharapova had already become one of the prize students of the head of the academy, Nick Bollettieri.

    Sharapova entered her first major tournament, the Eddie Herr International Junior Championships, held at the Bollettieri Tennis Academy on December 8, 1997, as a wild card. "It was a surprise," she told Mic Huber for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune (December 9, 1997) regarding her entry into the tournament. "We didn't count on it. Four days before the tournament (Bollettieri) just came up to me and said, 'I'm going to put you in the main draw.' I said, 'Oh, I didn't expect that.'" Then ten years old, Sharapova won her first-round match against 14-year-old Bernice Burlet, who was seeded 14th in the competition, but she lost in the next round to Liga Dekmeijere. Sharapova did not compete in the 1998 Eddie Herr tournament, but she advanced to the quarterfinals of the 14-and-under division of that annual event the following year, before being eliminated by the Swiss player Myriam Casanova by a score of 7-6 in the first set and 7-5 in the second. In 1999 Sharapova performed well in the Bollettieri Masters Tennis Tournament, advancing to the semifinal round. The following year she won that same tournament, defeating Tatiana Golovin in the final match, 6-0, 6-1. "Tennis is very important, but I believe if I concentrate on playing my best, there is no such word as pressure," she told Mike Henry for the Bradenton Herald (May 21, 2000) after winning.

    Competing as a 13-year-old in the 16-and-under division of the Eddie Herr tournament in December 2000, Sharapova won the title by defeating Myriam Casanova in the deciding match. While continuing her training with Nick Bollettieri, Sharapova also began traveling periodically to California to train with another highly respected tennis coach, Robert Lansdorp. She also attended high-school academic courses at Pendleton Academy, which was run by IMG and located in Bradenton.

    Soon after Sharapova became a teenager, tennis observers began to compare her with her compatriot Anna Kournikova, who had trained at the Bollettieri Academy in the early 1990s before turning professional. As Kournikova's athletic potential and youthful beauty had attracted widespread attention among tennis fans, sponsors, and the media, both Nick Bollettieri and IMG actively encouraged such comparisons. Referring to a group of young, female Russian tennis players touted as possible successors to Kournikova, Bollettieri told Ursula Reel for the New York Post (March 27, 2001), "The best of them is Sharapova." Similarly, Sharapova's IMG agent, Max Eisenbud, told Reel that Sharapova was a "very, very special talent and she's also beautiful. With her blond hair and blue eyes, it's natural for people to make the comparison with Anna." Sharapova, however, sought to carve out her own identity in the tennis world. She told Mic Huber for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune (April 24, 2001), "I don't think much about it, or get paranoid or anything. I laugh sometimes. [Kournikova and I] do have similarities. We have the same background and all that. But I don't pay attention to that. I want to win tournaments." (Kournikova has yet to win a WTA tournament.)

    When she was 14 years old, Sharapova made her professional debut at the 2001 United States Tennis Association (USTA) Sarasota/Bradenton Challenger, held in Sarasota, Florida. Though Sharapova lost in the first round to Karin Miller, 6-7(2), 6-4, 6-4 (the first set was decided by a two-point tie-breaker), her performance elicited praise from spectators, tournament officials, and even her opponent. "She didn't fold," Miller told Mic Huber for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune (May 5, 2001). "She came up with great shots, great angles and a tremendous backhand." Returning to amateur play, Sharapova beat Lizaan duPlessis, 6-1, 6-0, in the Bollettieri Masters Tournament, held in May 2001, solidifying her reputation as the Bollettieri Academy's star prospect. She spent the next several months competing in under-18 tournaments, winning events in Pilsen, the Czech Republic; Sacramento, California; and Hilton Head, South Carolina.

    In January 2002 Sharapova competed in two tournaments in Australia: a junior tournament in Victoria, in which she reached the finals only to lose to Myriam Casanova (6-1, 6-4), and the Junior Grand Slam, played in conjunction with the Australian Open. Having entered the latter tournament as a wild card, Sharapova became the youngest woman in the event's history to reach the finals; however, Barbora Strycova defeated Sharapova to win the junior title, 6-0, 7-5. The following month Sharapova won her first professional match, defeating Katherine Ashley in the first round of an ITF Challenger tournament held in Columbus, Ohio. (Sharapova was eliminated in the next round.) At the time Sharapova was ranked 18th in the International Junior Rankings, and was the youngest woman among the 50 highest-ranked juniors.

    Her entry in the 2002 Pacific Life Open, played in Indian Wells, California, marked Sharapova's debut on the WTA Tour, which operates in conjunction with the ITF. Sharapova won her first round match but was defeated in straight sets in the second round by Monica Seles (6-0, 6-2), who in the early 1990s had been the number-one ranked women's player in the world. "I'm going to remember this for my whole life," Sharapova remarked after competing against Seles, as quoted by Jerry Magee for the San Diego Union-Tribune (March 8, 2002). "The match today was just unbelievable. Everything about it, actually. Everything worked great. It really taught me a lot of things. I learned there is a big difference between a junior and a pro. I played against an unbelievable pro, and I did great. I had no fear." With her performance at Indian Wells, Sharapova had proven that she could compete against top professional players.

    Within a month Sharapova had claimed her first professional title, by defeating Aiko Nakamura (6-4, 6-1) in the final match of an ITF tournament held in Gunma, Japan. Sharapova also won the next two ITF events she entered: the Women's Challenger held in Vancouver, Canada, where Sharapova defeated the American Laura Granville (0-6, 6-3, 6-1) to win the title; and the Women's Challenger in Peachtree City, Georgia. Also in mid-2002, Sharapova advanced to the finals of the Junior Grand Slam of Wimbledon, only to lose to another 15-year-old Russian, Vera Douchevina, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2. (Sharapova played that match with a leg injury.) At the end of 2002, Sharapova was ranked 186th in the world by the WTA.

    Her career continued its upswing in 2003. Though ITF rules regarding age limited the number of tournaments the then-16-year-old Sharapova could enter, her strong play qualified her for her first professional Grand Slam events. (The Grand Slams--the Australian Open, the U.S. Open, the French Open, and Wimbledon--are the most competitive and prestigious tennis tournaments held each year.) Playing in the 2003 Australian Open, Sharapova lost in straight sets to Klara Koukalova, 6-4, 7-6 (6). She then qualified for the French Open, though Sharapova was eliminated following her first-round loss to Magui Serna, 6-3, 6-3. Despite those loses, Sharapova's world ranking improved to 125th.

    At the DFS Classic in Birmingham, England, in June 2003, Sharapova's talent was in evidence as she defeated Elena Dementieva, ranked 15th in the world, 2-6, 7-6, 6-2, to gain a place in the semifinals of the tournament. Though she subsequently lost to Shinobu Asagoe, Sharapova's strong showing in her earlier matches of the DFS Classic qualified her for the 2003 U.S. Open. At the latter Grand Slam event Sharapova could manage only a first-round victory before being eliminated by Emelie Loit in the second round. Though Sharapova had failed to advance very far in Grand Slam tournaments, through competing in them she was gaining valuable experience against a field of players that was stronger than any she had previously faced. In addition, her world ranking was improving; she was now listed as the 88th-best female player in the world. Sharapova entered the 2003 Wimbledon Grand Slam tournament as a wild card. She defeated Ashley Harkleroad, ranked 39th in the world, to advance beyond the first round of a Grand Slam event for the first time in her career. She then defeated Elena Bovina and Jelena Dokic, each in straight sets, in the next two rounds. The win over Dokic earned Sharapova a spot among the final 16 competitors; however, she would get no closer to her first Grand Slam title as she lost to Svetlana Kuznetsova (6-1, 2-6, 7-5) in the next match. Sharapova left the 2003 Wimbledon tournament ranked 56th in the world.

    On October 5, 2003, in the final match of the 2003 Japan Open, held in Tokyo, Sharapova defeated Aniko Kapros (2-6, 6-2, 7-6) to claim her first WTA title--an achievement by which she finally put to rest any remaining comparisons of her and Kournikova. "I think it was just a matter of time," Sharapova told reporters regarding her victory, as quoted by a writer for the International Herald Tribune (October 6, 2003). "It took a lot of preparation and a lot of hard work. It feels great, and I hope I never have to answer another Kournikova question." Sharapova also won her first doubles title at the 2003 Japan Open, teaming with Tamarine Tanasugarn to defeat the pair of Ansley Cargill and Ashley Harkleroad. (Part of Sharapova's newfound success was due to the fact that she had fully adapted to her body's growth--at six feet Sharapova is one of the tallest players on the WTA tour.) At a WTA event in Luxembourg, Sharapova lost in the semifinals of the singles competition to Kim Clijsters--ranked second in the world at the time--but won the title in the doubles competition. (It was the second doubles title of her career.) In the final event of the season, held in Quebec City, Canada, Sharapova won her second WTA title.

    At the start of the 2004 tennis season, Sharapova was ranked 31st in the world. Heading into the 2004 Australian Open in Melbourne, Sharapova was met by requests from other players that she try to control the loud sounds of exertion she customarily makes when hitting shots. A quieter Sharapova reached the third round of the tournament before losing to 7th-ranked Anastasia Myskina, 6-4, 1-6, 6-2. After losing in the early rounds of a number of minor events, and in the quarterfinals of the 2004 French Open, Sharapova won a WTA tournament in Birmingham, England, in June 2004, by defeating France's Tatiana Golovin, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1. Entering the 2004 Wimbledon Grand Slam tournament in London, England, Sharapova was ranked 15th in the world. Since her debut in Grand Slam competition the previous year, Sharapova had improved significantly, according to Nicola Woolcock and Ashling O'Connor for the London Times (July 3, 2004), having "eliminated the unforced errors, found direction with that powerful service, made friends with the net and developed some match strategy. In short, she has grown up. Fast." After advancing through the first few rounds, Sharapova defeated Lindsay Davenport, 2-6, 7-6 (5), 6-1, to become the first Russian since 1974 to advance to the Wimbledon finals. In the title match Sharapova faced the powerful Serena Williams, who was seeking her third-straight Wimbledon title. Undaunted, the 17-year-old Sharapova played hard and well, defeating Williams in straight sets, 6-1, 6-4. After the final point of the match, Sharapova, realizing that she had won her first Grand Slam title, covered her mouth in amazement, blew kisses to the crowd, and fumbled with a cellular phone as she attempted to call her mother, who was in the United States. Sharapova had become the youngest Wimbledon champion since 1997--when Martina Hingis won the tournament several months before her 17th birthday--and the third-youngest champion in the tournament's 127-year history. "I'm absolutely speechless," Sharapova told reporters after winning, as quoted by Howard Fendrich for the Associated Press (July 3, 2004). "I never, never in my life expected this to happen so fast. It's always been my dream to come here and to win. But it was never in my mind that I would do it this year." She told Liz Clarke for the Washington Post (July 4, 2004), "To tell you the truth, I don't know what happened in the match. I don't know how I won. I don't know what the tactics were. I was just playing. I was in my own little world." Her Wimbledon victory had brought Sharapova's earnings to more than $1 million for the year; in addition, for the first time in her career she had broken into the top 10 in the world rankings, earning the eighth spot. Following her victory Sharapova appeared on television talk shows and was featured in many magazine and newspaper articles. Gaggles of picture-snapping paparazzi traced her every move.

    At the Acura Classic in San Diego, California--less than a month after her Wimbledon victory--Sharapova lost in the semifinals to Anastasia Myskina, 7-5, 6-2, after holding a 5-2 lead in the first set. At the U.S. Open Sharapova was disappointed after being eliminated in the third round by Mary Pierce. In September she returned to top form, however, winning five straight matches to claim the title at a WTA event in Seoul, South Korea. The following month Sharapova won the Japan Open for the second consecutive year; the victory marked her fourth singles title of 2004. Following those wins Sharapova reached a career-high number seven in the WTA world rankings.

    In addition to her heavy schedule of WTA and ITF events, in 2002 Sharapova signed a contract to play competitively for the Delaware Smash of World Team Tennis (WTT), an annual, month-long summer league. (In WTT play a match is a contest between two teams rather than two individuals and consists of sets played in three different formats--singles, doubles, and mixed doubles.) In July 2004, her third season in the league, Sharapova played for the WTT's Newport Beach Breakers.

    For the past several years Sharapova has been taking high-school-level academic courses via the Internet. According to Sharapova's biography posted on the official WTA Web site, in late 2003 she signed a modelling contract with IMG Models. She has also signed endorsement deals in excess of $1 million with Nike and Prince, makers of sports apparel and equipment. She has appeared on many television programs, including Inside Edition, Entertainment Tonight, SportsCenter, the CBS Early Show, MTV's Total Request Live, and the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Sharapova enjoys reading, in particular the adventures of Pippi Longstocking and Sherlock Holmes, and shopping for designer clothes. In 2003 YM magazine named her one of the "coolest girls" in America. As of early 2004 Sharapova was reported to have neither a boyfriend nor a driver's license.