query: when did maria sharapova start playing tennis?

title: Maria Sharapova career statistics

text: the first to complete such a feat since Wendy Turnbull at the 1985 Australian Open. Maria Sharapova career statistics This is a list of the main career statistics of professional Russian tennis player, Maria Sharapova. To date, Sharapova has won thirty six WTA singles titles including five Grand Slams, one year-ending championship, six WTA Tier I singles titles, three WTA Premier Mandatory singles titles and five WTA Premier 5 singles titles. She was also the silver medallist in singles at the 2012 London Olympics. Sharapova won her first grand slam singles title at the 2004 Wimbledon Championships by defeating top

title: Maria Sharapova career statistics

text: Maria Sharapova career statistics This is a list of the main career statistics of professional Russian tennis player, Maria Sharapova. To date, Sharapova has won thirty six WTA singles titles including five Grand Slams, one year-ending championship, six WTA Tier I singles titles, three WTA Premier Mandatory singles titles and five WTA Premier 5 singles titles. She was also the silver medallist in singles at the 2012 London Olympics. Sharapova won her first grand slam singles title at the 2004 Wimbledon Championships by defeating top seed and two-time defending champion, Serena Williams in straight sets. She finished the year by

title: 2015 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: 2015 Maria Sharapova tennis season The 2015 Maria Sharapova tennis season officially began on 4 January 2015 with the start of the 2015 WTA Tour. Sharapova entered the season ranked as world number 2 behind Serena Williams following the completion of the 2014 season. For the second consecutive year, Sharapova began her season at the Brisbane International, a Premier level tournament on the WTA Tour. As the top seed, Sharapova was given a bye in the first round. Her first match of the 2015 season came against qualifier Yaroslava Shvedova, with Sharapova winning the first nine games on her way

title: 2014 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: 2014 Maria Sharapova tennis season The 2014 Maria Sharapova tennis season officially began on 30 December 2013 with the start of the 2014 WTA Tour. Sharapova began the season, having only played one match since the previous June due to a shoulder injury, at the Brisbane International. After failing to defend her points during the winter and spring hard court season, Sharapova almost dropped out of the Top 10. She rebounded by dominating the clay court season which saw her win Stuttgart, Madrid and the French Open. Her only loss on clay came to a resurgent Ana Ivanovic. She then

title: 2005 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: 2005 season. This table chronicles all the matches of Sharapova in 2005, including walkovers (W/O) which the WTA does not count as wins. They are marked ND for non-decision or no decision. Maria Sharapova vs. Justine Henin-Hardenne 1-2 Maria Sharapova vs. Venus Williams 1-1 Maria Sharapova vs. Lindsay Davenport 2-1 Maria Sharapova vs. Maria Kirilenko 1-1 Maria Sharapova vs. Kim Clijsters 0-2 Maria Sharapova vs. Serena Williams 0-1 2005 Maria Sharapova tennis season Results and statistics from Maria Sharapova's 2005 tennis season. Sharapova began her season at the Australian Open, as the fourth seed. She reached the semi-finals, defeating Grand

title: 2008 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: the matches of Sharapova in 2008, including walkovers (W/O) which the WTA does not count as wins. They are marked ND for non-decision or no decision. "Ordered by percentage, number of victories to number of losses, then in alphabetical order" 2008 Maria Sharapova tennis season Results and statistics from Maria Sharapova's 2008 tennis season. Sharapova began her season at the Australian Open, as the 5th seed. She won the tournament without dropping a set (or playing a tie-break set), as she gained redemption following the previous year's heavy defeat in the final to Serena Williams. En route, she defeated Lindsay

title: 2015 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: a set down to clinch a three set victory. The win gave Russia a 2–1 lead in the tie, and signalled the end of Sharapova's 2015 season. Unfortunately for the Russian team, Sharapova's victories would be the only ones for the team, with Pavlyuchenkova losing in singles to Plíšková, then losing to Plíšková and Barbora Strýcová in the decisive doubles tie with Elena Vesnina Sharapova's 2015 singles tournament schedule is as follows: "Ordered by number of wins 2015 Maria Sharapova tennis season The 2015 Maria Sharapova tennis season officially began on 4 January 2015 with the start of the 2015

title: 2010 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: 2010 Maria Sharapova tennis season Results and statistics from Maria Sharapova's 2010 tennis season. Sharapova began her season at the Australian Open, as the 14th seed. She was knocked out in the first round by compatriot Maria Kirilenko in three sets; this marked Sharapova's worst performance at a Major tournament since she lost in the first round of the 2003 French Open, and the first time she lost a match at the tournament since her heavy defeat in the 2007 final to Serena Williams (she did not participate in 2009 due to injury). Rather than participate at the two Middle

title: 2008 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: 2008 Maria Sharapova tennis season Results and statistics from Maria Sharapova's 2008 tennis season. Sharapova began her season at the Australian Open, as the 5th seed. She won the tournament without dropping a set (or playing a tie-break set), as she gained redemption following the previous year's heavy defeat in the final to Serena Williams. En route, she defeated Lindsay Davenport in the second round, served three bagels (one each to Elena Vesnina, Elena Dementieva and World No. 1 Justine Henin, whom she defeated very impressively in the quarter-finals) and defeated Jelena Janković (who had defeated the defending champion Williams

title: 2006 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: stage undefeated, and thus qualified for the semi-finals after finishing first in the group. The semi-final saw her up against Justine Henin-Hardenne for the fourth time in the year. Sharapova was defeated in straight sets, thus bringing an end to her otherwise impressive 2006 season. This table chronicles all the matches of Sharapova in 2006, including walkovers (W/O) which the WTA does not count as wins. They are marked ND for non-decision or no decision. "Ordered by number of wins" 2006 Maria Sharapova tennis season Results and statistics from Maria Sharapova's 2006 tennis season. Maria Sharapova began her season at

title: 2004 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: 2004 Maria Sharapova tennis season Results and statistics from Maria Sharapova's 2004 tennis season. Sharapova began her season at the Australian Open, as the 28th seed. She lost in the third round to Anastasia Myskina. Sharapova reached her first Major quarter-final at the French Open, defeating 2003 quarter-finalist Vera Zvonareva en route. She eventually lost in the quarter-finals to Paola Suárez. Sharapova won her first title for the year in Birmingham, defeating Tatiana Golovin in the final in three sets. At Wimbledon, Sharapova was seeded 13th, meaning she could have faced a potential fourth round meeting against the French Open

title: 2004 Maria Sharapova tennis season

title: 2006 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: 2006 Maria Sharapova tennis season Results and statistics from Maria Sharapova's 2006 tennis season. Maria Sharapova began her season at the Australian Open, as the fourth seed. After overcoming a tricky section which included Serena Williams and Daniela Hantuchová, she reached the semi-finals for the second (of four) consecutive year, where she fell in three sets to Justine Henin-Hardenne. Sharapova won her first title of the year at Indian Wells, by defeating compatriot Elena Dementieva in the final in straight sets; it was her first title since she won Birmingham in 2005, and it was the eleventh final out of

title: 2005 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: 2005 Maria Sharapova tennis season Results and statistics from Maria Sharapova's 2005 tennis season. Sharapova began her season at the Australian Open, as the fourth seed. She reached the semi-finals, defeating Grand Slam debutant Li Na and the previous year's US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova en route, before being defeated in the semi-finals by eventual champion Serena Williams in an epic three set thriller on Rod Laver. Sharapova, had several match points in the final set, but ended up losing it 6-8. Sharapova reached the semi-finals at Indian Wells for the first time, but she would suffer the ignominy of

title: 2009 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: 2009 Maria Sharapova tennis season Results and statistics from Maria Sharapova's 2009 tennis season. At the beginning of the year, Sharapova was forced to concede the defence of her Australian Open title, a decision which would see her drop out of the WTA's Top 10 for the first time since winning Wimbledon in 2004. Her continued absence from the Tour also cost her the titles she won in Doha and Amelia Island last year; she also missed both the Premier Mandatory events at Indian Wells and Miami, and subsequently saw her world ranking drop to No. 65. Sharapova first attempted

title: 2014 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: three match points and ultimately lost the second set on a tiebreak, eliminating her from the tournament. She went on to win the deciding set to earn her first round-robin win, but the result wasn't enough to see her into the semifinals. In the following match, Wozniacki beat Kvitová 6–2, 6–3, meaning that Sharapova would have progressed had she won the second set. In spite of the round-robin elimination, Sharapvoa retained her ranking position, finishing 2014 ranked second behind Serena Williams. "Ordered by number of wins 2014 Maria Sharapova tennis season The 2014 Maria Sharapova tennis season officially began on

title: 2010 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: including walkovers (W/O) which the WTA does not count as wins. They are marked ND for non-decision or no decision. "Ordered by percentage, number of victories to number of losses, then in alphabetical order" 2010 Maria Sharapova tennis season Results and statistics from Maria Sharapova's 2010 tennis season. Sharapova began her season at the Australian Open, as the 14th seed. She was knocked out in the first round by compatriot Maria Kirilenko in three sets; this marked Sharapova's worst performance at a Major tournament since she lost in the first round of the 2003 French Open, and the first time

title: Maria Sharapova

text: the fun, fashionable, sweet side of international tennis sensation Maria Sharapova." A portion of all proceeds goes to the Maria Sharapova Foundation, Sharapova's charity. Sugarpova was launched worldwide in 2013. In February 2016, Sugarpova announced that it had partnered with Polish company "Baron Chocolatier" to make Sugarpova Premium Chocolates. Sugarpova also plans to extend its range to lifestyle products. (i) = Indoor General Specific Maria Sharapova Maria Yuryevna Sharapova (; born April 19, 1987) is a Russian professional tennis player of Belarusian descent. A United States resident since 1994, Sharapova has competed on the WTA tour since 2001. She has

title: 2009 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: into the second round, where she defeated Victoria Azarenka in three sets, before falling to Peng Shuai in the third. Her impressive comeback eventually led to her finishing the year ranked World No. 14, having been No. 126 back in May. This table chronicles all the matches of Sharapova in 2009, including walkovers (W/O) which the WTA does not count as wins. They are marked ND for non-decision or no decision. "Ordered by percentage, number of victories to number of losses, then in alphabetical order" 2009 Maria Sharapova tennis season Results and statistics from Maria Sharapova's 2009 tennis season. At

title: Maria Sharapova

text: go on to win two Grand Slam singles titles and become Russia's first world No. 1 ranked tennis player. Aleksandr gave Sharapova her first tennis racquet in 1991 when she was four, whereupon she began practicing regularly with her father at a local park. Maria took her first tennis lessons with veteran Russian coach Yuri Yutkin, who was instantly impressed when he saw her play, noting her "exceptional hand-eye coordination". In 1993, at the age of six, Sharapova attended a tennis clinic in Moscow run by Martina Navratilova, who recommended professional training at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, which

title: Maria Sharapova

text: intends to maintain her tennis career. Following the retirement of 25-year-old Justine Henin in 2008, Sharapova said, "If I [were] 25, and I'd won so many Grand Slams, I'd quit too." In an interview after the 2008 Australian Open, she balked at the idea of playing for another ten years, saying that she hoped to have a "nice husband and a few kids" by then. However, in an interview before her 2012 Australian Open semifinal, Sharapova changed her stance, saying she intended to continue playing tennis for as long as she enjoyed playing the game. Sharapova stated, "I'm sure when

title: Maria Sharapova

text: Nike, signing an 8-year deal for $70 million. This is the most lucrative deal ever for a sportswoman, dwarfing the previous record, which was Venus Williams' $43 million deal with Reebok. Following in the footsteps of tennis players who started clothing lines such as Fred Perry and René Lacoste, Sharapova launched her own tennis apparel line, the "Nike Maria Sharapova Collection", in 2010. The collection includes dresses that she designed for all the major tournaments, in collaboration with Nike and Cole Haan. She had previously found that the outfits given to her by Nike did not suit her frame and

title: Maria Sharapova

text: Maria Sharapova Maria Yuryevna Sharapova (; born April 19, 1987) is a Russian professional tennis player of Belarusian descent. A United States resident since 1994, Sharapova has competed on the WTA tour since 2001. She has been ranked world No. 1 in singles by the WTA on five separate occasions, for a total of 21 weeks. She is one of ten women, and the only Russian, to hold the career Grand Slam. She is also an Olympic medalist, having won silver in women's singles at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Sharapova became the world No. 1 for the first

title: Maria Sharapova

text: and compliant with the relevant rules". She returned to the WTA tour on April 26, 2017 at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. In 2018, she launched a new programme to mentor women entrepreneurs. Maria Sharapova was born on April 19, 1987, in Nyagan, Russian SFSR. Her parents, Yuri and Yelena, are from Gomel, Belarussian SSR. Concerned about the regional effects of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident, they left their homeland shortly before Maria was born. In 1989, when Sharapova was two, the family moved to Sochi, Krasnodar Krai, Russia. There her father Yuri befriended Aleksandr Kafelnikov, whose son Yevgeny would

title: 2014 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: points in the final set. Sharapova began the 2014 US Open Series at the Rogers Cup, where she gained a top 4 seeding for the first time since the Sony Open in March, by virtue of Li Na's withdrawal from the tournament with a knee injury. Receiving a bye through the first round, Maria opened up her campaign against Garbiñe Muguruza, whom she had defeated in the quarterfinals of Roland Garros earlier in the year. Following a quick start by her opponent, which saw Sharapova fall behind a set and a break, Maria broke back in the fourth game of

title: Maria Sharapova

text: in the Rick Macci Tennis Academy. She then was offered a deal from IMG which forced her to change academies. Originally, she did train with Rick Macci, but after the deal with IMG, she could not see Rick Macci anymore. In 1995, she was signed by IMG, who agreed to pay the annual tuition fee of $35,000 for Sharapova to stay at the Academy, allowing her to finally enroll at the age of 9. Sharapova first hit the tennis scene in November 2000, when she won the Eddie Herr International Junior Tennis Championships in the girls' 16 division at the

title: Maria Sharapova

text: and Kremlin Cup with a right shoulder injury. Sharapova ended the season inside the top 30, ranked 29. On March 7, 2016, Sharapova revealed that she had failed a drug test at the 2016 Australian Open, which she described as the result of an oversight. Sharapova admitted to testing positive for meldonium, an anti-ischemic drug usually prescribed for heart conditions that was added to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)'s banned substances list on January 1, 2016. Sharapova was provisionally suspended by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) from playing tennis effective from March 12, 2016. She later released a statement regarding

title: Maria Sharapova

text: simply the country, but the people, the mentality and the toughness and that never giving up attitude". The Maria Sharapova Foundation is committed to helping children around the world achieve their dreams. Sharapova has donated $100,000 to Chernobyl-related projects. In partnership with the UNDP, she launched a $210,000 scholarship program for students from Chernobyl-affected areas of Belarus that will award five-year scholarships to 12 students at the Belarusian State Academy of Arts and the Belarusian State University. At the 2004 US Open, Sharapova, along with several other Russian female tennis players, wore a black ribbon in observance of the tragedy

title: Maria Sharapova

text: Jelena Janković retired after being down 2–5 to Sharapova in the final. By virtue of that result, she was the recipient of a bye at the China Open, but failed to capitalize on it, losing to Peng Shuai in the third round. She ultimately finished the season at world No. 14, having improved from No. 126 when she started her comeback from injury. After playing two exhibition tournaments in Asia, Sharapova officially began her season at the Australian Open, where she was upset in her first-round match against Maria Kirilenko. The loss meant that for the first time since 2003,

title: 2014 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: short work of her opponent, winning 6–1, 6–4. In the third round, Sharapova faced 22-year-old qualifier Camila Giorgi for the first time in her career. Despite being the heavy favourite to progress, Sharapova was stunned by Giorgi in three sets, losing the defence of her title 3–6, 6–4, 5–7. The early defeat proved costly for Sharapova's ranking, which dropped two further places to world #7 after the event. After her early loss at Indian Wells, Sharapova looked to bounce back at the Sony Open Tennis event in Key Biscayne, Florida. Sharapova entered the tournament having been the beaten finalist on

title: Maria Sharapova

text: serious challenger to the Williams' dominance at Wimbledon. She entered the top 10 in the rankings for the first time as a result of the win. Following her Wimbledon win, attention and interest in Sharapova in the media greatly increased, a rise in popularity dubbed "Maria Mania." She won three of six matches in her preparations for the US Open. At the US Open itself, she reached the third round, before being eliminated by Mary Pierce. In order to regain confidence, Sharapova played and won consecutive titles in Asia in the fall, the Hansol Korea Open Tennis Championships and the

title: Maria Sharapova

text: straight sets in the third round. Sharapova received a wildcard to enter the Qatar Open, losing in three sets to Monica Niculescu in the opening round. Sharapova pulled out of the Dubai Tennis Championships due to citing a forearm strain. Sharapova played the Indian Wells Open falling in the opening round to Naomi Osaka in straight sets. Sharapova was set to play the Miami Open but withdrew due to a forearm injury. Sharapova started her clay court season at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. Sharapova faced sixth seed Caroline Garcia in the opening round but lost in three tight sets.

title: Maria Sharapova

text: Tropicana, which ended in 2009. In 2007, Sharapova was featured in a number of Canon USA's commercials for the PowerShot. Sharapova has also been depicted in many tennis-related video games. Some of the titles include the "Top Spin series", "Virtua Tennis" series, and "Grand Slam Tennis" series. During the layoff due to her shoulder surgery, sensing the fleeting nature of a professional athlete's career, Sharapova decided to focus on developing her name as a brand, beginning with meeting with her sponsors more extensively to further her brand. In January 2010, it was announced that Sharapova had renewed her contract with

title: 2014 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: 6–4, 6–3. The defeat was Sharapova's third semifinal loss of 2014, each to the eventual winner of the tournament. Sharapova again dropped slightly in the rankings to world #9, her lowest position since returning to the top 10 in 2011. Sharapova began her clay court season at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany. She entered the tournament having never previously lost at the event, and as the two-time defending champion following her victories over Victoria Azarenka and Li Na in the 2012 and 2013 finals respectively. Seeded sixth, Sharapova began her campaign facing Lucie Šafářová for the second

title: 2014 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: been littered with rain delays and the final one of the match saw Sharapova come out to another slow start in the third set, which Sharapova consequently lost 2–6. This was Maria's first loss to Suárez Navarro, tying their head-to-head at one apiece. Sharapova next participated at the tournament in Cincinnati, where she was previously the champion in 2011. Sharapova was seeded fifth, and advanced to the quarterfinals with wins over Madison Keys and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. She then earned her third win of 2014 against world #2 Simona Halep in a lengthy three set match. In the semifinals, Sharapova met

title: 2014 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: Ana Ivanovic for the third time in the year. Despite coming back from a set down, Sharapova missed two match points in the final set and went on to lose 2–6, 7–5, 5–7. Sharapova was seeded 5th at the final Grand Slam of the year. She comfortably dispatched of compatriot Maria Kirilenko in the first round, before advancing again, this time in three sets over Romanian Alexandra Dulgheru. In the third round, Sharapova defeated 26th seed Sabine Lisicki in straight sets to set up a fourth round tie against tenth seed Caroline Wozniacki, but lost there to the eventual finalist,

title: 2008 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: final. Sharapova then withdrew from Dubai due to a viral infection. Sharapova reached the semi-finals at Indian Wells for the third time in four years, but was defeated there by compatriot and eventual runner-up Svetlana Kuznetsova, bringing an end to her 18-match winning streak to start the season. Following Indian Wells, Sharapova withdrew from Miami, citing a recurring shoulder injury. After withdrawing from Miami, Sharapova won her first career clay court title in Amelia Island, defeating Dominika Cibulková in the final. At Charleston, she lost to eventual champion Serena Williams in the quarter-finals. After deciding to skip the 2008 Qatar

title: Maria Sharapova

text: You must be 100 percent about what you are taking". Sharapova's case prompted Federer to urge the tennis federation to conduct more anti-doping tests. Novak Djokovic said that he felt sorry for her, but that she must still be ready for punishment. The Russian Tennis Federation strongly defended Sharapova, describing the positive drug test as "nonsense" and adding that they expected Sharapova to be available for the 2016 Olympic Games. As a result of the failed drug test, Nike and TAG Heuer suspended their relationships with Sharapova, while Porsche postponed promotional work. Racquet manufacturer HEAD stood by Sharapova, saying, "We

title: Maria Sharapova

text: and played her peak tennis level, respectively. Sharapova initially was not as well-suited to the slower clay courts as she is on hard and grass courts. Sharapova admitted in 2007 that she was not as comfortable with her movement on clay compared with other court surfaces and once described herself as like a "cow on ice" after a match on clay, due to her inability to slide. Later in her career, she showed improvement on this surface with respect to experience, as evidenced with her first WTA red-clay title at the 2010 Internationaux de Strasbourg, 7 years since playing on

title: 2014 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: again won the first set, before Pavlyuchenkova came back to win in three, to claim her first career victory over Sharapova. Sharapova's ranking remained steady at world #5 after the event. After not playing during the month of February, Sharapova returned to action at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California. She was the defending champion at the event, having beaten Caroline Wozniacki 6–2, 6–2 in the 2013 final. As the fourth seed, Sharapova received a bye in the first round and thus began her title defence in the second round, facing German world #86 Julia Görges. Sharapova made

title: Maria Sharapova

text: that she is "tough as nails". Hall-of-famer John McEnroe said of Sharapova, "she's one of the best competitors in the history of the sport." Sharapova is known for on-court "grunting", which reached a recorded 101 decibels during a match at Wimbledon in 2005. During her second round match in Birmingham in 2003, Sharapova was asked to tone down the level of her grunt after opponent Nathalie Dechy complained to the umpire, with Sharapova's response saying that her grunting was "a natural instinct." Monica Seles suggested that grunting is involuntary and a part of tennis. When questioned by the media about

title: 2004 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: she was defeated in the third round by Mary Pierce. During the fall of the season Sharapova played and won consecutive titles at the hansol korea open and at the japan tennis championships thus extending her title tally to 4 .She also reached the final of the zurich open defeating venus williams en route but eventually lost to alicia molik in three tight sets. Sharapova qualified for the year-end WTA Tour Championships by virtue of her impressive season, which saw her capture four titles for the year to date. She was drawn in the Black Group along with Amélie Mauresmo,

title: 2014 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: the second set and won eleven of the last thirteen games to win the match 4–6, 6–3, 6–1. In her third round match, Sharapova faced Muguruza's doubles partner Carla Suárez Navarro. Another slow start saw Sharapova fall into a quick 0–5 deficit in the first set and although she was able to hold and break Suárez Navarro's serve for 2–5, Carla broke to win the first set 2–6. Sharapova was twice a break down in the second set at 0–2 and 1–3 but she broke back both times and leveled the match by winning the set 6–4. The match had

title: 2014 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: point, winning 6–4, 6–7, 6–2 to advance to the fourth round. She next faced Kirsten Flipkens, and despite never previously losing a set to her opponent (including at their previous 2014 meeting in Paris), she lost the first set 3–6. However, Sharapova then regrouped and won the following two sets 6–4, 6–1 to advance the quarterfinals. There, Sharapova earned her first top ten victory of the year, seeing off world #8 Petra Kvitová 7–5, 6–1, to set up a semifinal rematch against Serena Williams. However, despite making a strong start, Sharapova once again fell foul of the world #1, losing

title: 2015 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: continued her strong form by seeing off world No. 7 Eugenie Bouchard in two sets. Playing in her third Australian Open semifinal in four years, Sharapova made short work of her compatriot and 10th seed Ekaterina Makarova, setting up a final with world number one Serena Williams. The final was a tight contest between the top 2 players in the world, but Sharapova failed to recover from being broken in the opening game, and lost the first set. Sharapova stepped up her play in the second set, and saved two match points to force a tie-break, but in the end,

title: Maria Sharapova

text: and separated earlier that year. In 2013, she began dating Bulgarian tennis player Grigor Dimitrov. Sharapova and Dimitrov ended the relationship in July 2015. Sharapova began dating Paddle8 president and co-founder Alexander Gilkes in January 2018. Sharapova has lived in the United States since moving there at the age of seven. Besides a home in Bradenton, Florida, she also has a residence in Manhattan Beach, California. From 2005 to 2011, Sharapova was named to the Forbes Celebrity 100, which attempts to compile the top 100 most powerful celebrities of that year. Sharapova has made varying remarks on how long she

title: Maria Sharapova

text: led to an elbow injury, but under Thomas Högstedt it has improved but can still be erratic. This improvement in serving can be seen in the 2013 Australian Open and following tournaments where Maria Sharapova committed fewer double faults than in previous years. Because she predicates her game on power, Sharapova's preferred surfaces early in her career were the fast-playing hard and grass courts, as evident through her 25 victories on hard court and grass court. This was most notable when she won the 2004 Wimbledon, 2006 U.S. Open and 2008 Australian Open crowns, where she had her career breakthrough

title: 2014 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: Singapore for the first time. As the second seed, she was placed in the White Group alongside Petra Kvitová, Agnieszka Radwańska and Caroline Wozniacki. Sharapova started the tournament poorly, losing in three sets to Wozniacki before being pushed to the brink of elimination after a straight sets defeat to Kvitová. In spite of losing her first two matches, Sharapova entered her final match against Radwańska still able to qualify for the semifinals, provided that she won in straight sets, while Wozniacki did the same against Kvitová. Despite taking a commanding 7–5, 5–1 lead against Radwańska, Sharapova was unable to convert

title: 2010 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: and thus a rematch of the same final, which Sharapova won. However, there would be no repeat this time around, as Sharapova succumbed in straight sets, despite holding several set points in the first set. This marked her fifth straight defeat to Williams since the end of 2004, and the fourth consecutive year in which she would fail to reach the quarter-finals at Wimbledon. Following her defeat at Wimbledon, Sharapova then visited her parents' hometown of Gomel, Belarus, to meet the victims of the Chernobyl accident, which occurred when Sharapova was conceived by her parents, who escaped the city as

title: 2005 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: last year falling to compatriot Svetlana Kuznetsova. She won her first match in a rollercoaster three setter, 6-0, 5-7, 6-2. Then she won her second round easily, in straight sets. In her semifinal match versus Maria Kirilenko, she had to retire the match due to injury. Sharapova's Next tournament was the Kremlin Cup in Moscow. In her opening round match versus Anna-Lena Grönefeld, she was up 6-1, 4-2, when Grönefeld had to retire the match due to injury. Her next match was versus fellow Russian and future World No.1, Dinara Safina. Sharapova lost after taking the first set 6-1. This

title: 2005 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: her third round victory against Katarina Srebotnik), before being defeated by eventual champion Venus Williams; the defeat ending a 22-match winning streak on grass dating back to the 2003 Wimbledon 4th Round. A week before the start of the US Open, Sharapova claimed the World No. 1 ranking for the first time, succeeding Lindsay Davenport. Subsequently, she was named top seed at a Major tournament for the first time, at the US Open, where she reached the semi-finals to complete the feat of having reached at least the quarter-final stage at each of the four Majors. Sharapova won her first

title: Maria Sharapova

text: to Greece's Maria Sakkari but defeating Natalia Vikhlyantseva. Sharapova exited Wimbledon with a three set lost to Vitalia Diatchenko despite being up a set and serving for the match. This marked her worst Grand Slam result since the 2010 Australian Open and her first ever opening round loss at Wimbledon. Sharapova was set to play at the Silicon Valley Classic but withdrew due to a change in her schedule. Sharapova played at the Rogers Cup and recorded straight sets wins over Sesil Karatantcheva and Daria Kasatkina. Sharapova fell in the third round with a straight sets loss to World No.6

title: 2014 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: Following the early end to her 2013 season, Sharapova additionally only has 101 points to defend until the end of the year. Sharapova was seeded fifth at this year Wimbledon, defending second round points after her shock defeat to Michelle Larcher de Brito in 2013. She quickly improved on her previous result, with quick wins over local wildcard Samantha Murray and qualifier Timea Bacsinszky. She then continued her strong start over grass-court specialist Alison Riske 6–3, 6–0 to set up a fourth round clash with world #7 Angelique Kerber to whom she lost 6–7 6–4 4–6 after saving six match

title: Maria Sharapova

text: of support in tennis for Sharapova, noting that she "[had] always isolated herself from the rest of the tennis world, from the players". Serena Williams expressed surprise at Sharapova's announcement but commended her for being "upfront with what she had done". Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray all publicly condemned Sharapova and argued that she deserved to be punished on the basis that she failed the doping test, with Murray adding that "Taking a drug you don't necessarily need because it's legal is wrong" and Federer stating that "Whether it's intentional or not, I don't see too much difference.

title: Maria Sharapova

text: a week before the BNP Paribas Open, she withdrew from that for the same reason. Following a failed drug test from the 2016 Australian Open, in which she tested positive for meldonium, a substance that had been banned, effective January 1, 2016 by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), Sharapova was provisionally suspended from competitive tennis with effect from March 12. On June 8 she was banned for two years by the International Tennis Federation. Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko has implied that Sharapova was targeted due to the political crisis in Russian-American relations. In October 2016, Sharapova's ban was reduced

title: Maria Sharapova

text: in Beijing, a Premier Mandatory-level tournament. Reaching the final without dropping a set, Sharapova defeated world No. 9 Ana Ivanovic in the semis. In the final, Sharapova met reigning Wimbledon champion and world No. 3 Petra Kvitová. Sharapova won the match in 2 hours 30 minutes, defeating the Czech in three sets. By virtue of the win, Sharapova's ranking rose from No. 4 to No. 2 in the world and she secured herself the second seeding for the WTA year-end Championship. Also, Sharapova closed in on the year-end number-one ranking spot, being just 467 points behind Williams. Maria was ranked

title: Maria Sharapova

text: 15 matches when she competed in the Wimbledon Championships as the top seed there for the first time in her career. However, she was upset in the fourth round by 15th-seeded Sabine Lisicki, whom she beat in the previous year's semifinals. As a result, she lost her No. 1 ranking to Victoria Azarenka. She played in the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London, her first Olympics. In the quarterfinals, Sharapova defeated fellow former No. 1 Kim Clijsters to advance to the semifinals, where she faced her compatriot, Maria Kirilenko. Sharapova defeated Kirilenko to reach the Olympic final, where she lost

title: 2015 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: opted to withdraw to improve her chances of competing in the 2015 WTA Finals in Singapore and the Fed Cup Final in Prague. Despite her lack of activity, Sharapova officially qualified for the 2015 WTA Finals in Singapore on September 10. She was seeded third behind Simona Halep and Garbiñe Muguruza, and was placed in the red group alongside Halep, Agnieszka Radwańska and US Open champion, Flavia Pennetta. Despite playing down her chances before the tournament began, Sharapova began the group stage with a three set win over Radwańska to earn her first tour win since July. She then continued

title: 2008 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: in the quarter-finals) in the semi-finals, before facing Serbian Ana Ivanovic in the final. In a match dubbed as the "Glam Slam final", Sharapova upset the highly fancied Serb in straight sets to claim her first Australian Open title, and third Major title. After playing two Fed Cup rubbers for Russia to kick off February, Sharapova then competed at the Qatar Ladies Open. She defeated Galina Voskoboeva, Tamarine Tanasugarn, Caroline Wozniacki and Agnieszka Radwańska (who had benefited from the withdrawal of top seed Ana Ivanovic in the third round) before facing (and defeating in three sets) Vera Zvonareva in the

title: Maria Sharapova

text: was her third loss of the year in finals out of four tournaments played so far. In the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Sharapova was seeded second. She had a bye in the first round, and advanced to the third round after Alizé Cornet retired in the second set. She won her first title of the year in Stuttgart after defeating world number one Victoria Azarenka. In doing so, Sharapova defeated three current Grand Slam title holders to win the tournament. Sharapova then played on the 2012 Mutua Madrid Open, a premier mandatory event. In the third round, Sharapova's

title: Maria Sharapova

text: Alona Bondarenko. The following week, in her first Grand Slam appearance since her surgery, she reached the quarterfinals of the French Open, before her run was ended by Dominika Cibulková. During the summer grass-court season, Sharapova played in Birmingham, losing in the semifinals to Li Na. Sharapova then played at Wimbledon as the 24th seed. She was upset in the second round by Gisela Dulko in three sets. Sharapova enjoyed considerable success in the summer months, reaching the quarterfinals at the Bank of the West Classic, the semifinals at the LA Women's Tennis Championships, and finishing runner-up at the Rogers

title: Maria Sharapova

text: Jelena Janković in the final. As the defending champion at Wimbledon, Sharapova reached the semifinals without dropping a set and losing a service game just once, extending her winning streak on grass to 24 matches. However, she was then beaten by eventual champion Venus Williams. Sharapova had far fewer points to defend, and so she became the first Russian woman to hold the world No. 1 ranking on August 22, 2005. Her reign lasted only one week, however, as Davenport reclaimed the top ranking after winning the Pilot Pen Tennis tournament. As the top seed at the US Open, Sharapova

title: 2015 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: sets. It was her first defeat to Kuznetsova in over seven years. Immediately following her defeat in Madrid, Sharapova travelled to Italy to compete in the WTA Premier Five tournament in Rome. She was seeded third, defending third round points following an early defeat to Ana Ivanovic in 2014. After a first round bye, Sharapova was leading her second round match when her opponent Jarmila Gajdošová retired with a shoulder injury. She then proceeded to the quarterfinals with a straight sets win over Bojana Jovanovski, setting up a meeting with former No. 1 Victoria Azarenka. Sharapova prevailed in two sets,

title: 2004 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: was their first meeting. Williams entered the match as the favourite, but Sharapova would produce a stunning straight-sets victory to become the third-youngest woman (after Lottie Dod and Martina Hingis) to triumph at Wimbledon. The victory was hailed by the media as "the most stunning upset in memory". By virtue of winning Wimbledon, Sharapova would enter the Top Ten for the first time in her career, and would remain there until January 2009, when she decided not to defend her 2008 Australian Open title due to a serious shoulder injury. Sharapova entered the US Open as the seventh seed, but

title: Maria Sharapova

text: the Prince Shark OS at that tournament specially designed for her. She then switched to the Prince O3 White racquet in January 2006. She switched to the Prince O3 Speedport Black in July 2008. After being with Prince for ten years, Sharapova began endorsing Head racquets in 2011 and uses the Head YOUTEK IG Instinct. Sharapova signed a three-year deal to be brand ambassador for Porsche in 2013. "Sugarpova" is a candy line created by Maria Sharapova and candy veteran Jeff Rubin, founder of international retailer IT'SUGAR. According to the Sugarpova website, "Sugarpova is a premium candy line that reflects

title: Maria Sharapova

text: looks." Immediately after her win at the 2004 Wimbledon Championship, mobile phone company Motorola signed Sharapova to endorse their mobile phone line. Additionally, she appeared in commercials for Land Rover and Canon, as well as approved of namesake items by watch brand Tag Heuer and jeweller Tiffany. Tiffany also provides Sharapova with earrings from the "Tiffany for Maria Sharapova" collection at the four major events, that are also retailed globally. She also starred in an award-winning campaign for the sports clothing brand Nike, "Pretty", in the summer of 2006. She signed a sponsorship deal in January 2007 with Gatorade and

title: Maria Sharapova

text: 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, and was the first torch bearer in the torch-lighting ceremony during the opening festivities. In addition, with Angela Haynes, Maria Kirilenko, Nicole Vaidišová, Rennae Stubbs, Governor Jeb Bush, and Jennifer Capriati, Sharapova participated in an exhibition in Tampa in December 2004, raising money for the Florida Hurricane Relief Fund. In July 2008, Sharapova sent a message on DVD to the memorial service of cancer victim Emily Bailes, who had performed the coin toss ahead of the 2004 Wimbledon final that Sharapova had gone on to win. Sharapova's autobiography, "Unstoppable: My Life So Far" was

title: Maria Sharapova

text: eventually climb the rankings into the top 60, and she later received another wildcard to enter the 2017 Kremlin Cup. Sharapova recorded her first opening round loss since 2013, with a straight-sets loss to eighth seed Magdaléna Rybáriková. Sharapova began her 2018 season at the Shenzhen Open. She defeated Mihaela Buzarnescu, Alison Riske and Zarina Diyas to advance to the semifinals, where she fell to defending champion Katerina Siniakova. Sharapova then returned to the Australian Open for the first time since her suspension, defeating Tatjana Maria and Anastasija Sevastova in the opening two rounds, before losing to Angelique Kerber in

title: Maria Sharapova

text: her ranking improved to world No. 2. At the Indian Wells, after battling for over three hours, Sharapova defeated compatriot Maria Kirilenko to set up a semifinal meeting with Ana Ivanovic. Sharapova advanced to the final after Ivanovic retired due to a hip injury. In the final, she played world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka in a rematch of the Australian Open final, but lost again in straight sets. Sharapova's next tournament was the 2012 Sony Ericsson Open, where she was seeded 2nd and received a bye. In the final, Sharapova lost in straight sets to fifth seed Agnieszka Radwańska. This

title: 2015 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: faced Daria Gavrilova and lost in straight sets. This marked the first time that Sharapova did not make it to the third round since her first appearance at the tournament back in 2003. As she had done in the previous three years, Sharapova began her clay-court season at Stuttgart, an event she had won on all three occasions that she had entered. She was seeded first, and received a first round bye. In the second round, she drew Angelique Kerber, and despite winning the first set, fell to her third consecutive defeat. The loss also snapped a 64 match win

title: Maria Sharapova

text: after the tournament. After the Australian Open, Sharapova was nominated by team captain Anastasia Myskina to play the Fed Cup, but she had a forearm injury and was only listed for the doubles match. Russia lost the first three matches and chose Makarova to replace Sharapova for the dead doubles match. In the end, Russia lost 3–1 but by being nominated for the match, Sharapova successfully qualified for the Summer Olympics having played sufficient Fed Cup matches to meet the criteria. Citing the left forearm injury sustained at the start of the year, Sharapova withdrew from the Qatar Open, and

title: 2008 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: at the 2008 Rogers Cup, however she had to withdraw following her second round win against Marta Domachowska due to a recurring shoulder injury, which ended up being serious enough to necessitate surgery. As a result, Sharapova was forced to withdraw from her remaining tournaments for the year, including the Olympic tennis tournament in Beijing, the US Open (thus missing her first Major tournament since her debut in 2003) and the year-end championships. Her withdrawals from those events eventually led to her finishing the year ranked World No. 9, her lowest year-end singles ranking since 2003. This table chronicles all

title: 2015 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: the Russian teams 2008 title winning run, Sharapova had missed the final through injury, thus making this her first appearance in a Fed Cup final. Following her teammate Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova's three set defeat to Petra Kvitová, Sharapova competed in the second rubber against world #11 Karolína Plíšková. In her first career meeting with her opponent, Sharapova claimed a straight set victories, levelling the tie at 1–1 at the end of the first day. Sharapova returned for the third rubber the following morning, looking to avenge her recent Year End Championships defeat to Kvitová. This time, Sharapova prevailed, coming back from

title: Maria Sharapova

text: or the qualifying draw, preventing her from playing in the 2017 French Open. Sharapova then received a wildcard to play Birmingham Classic. However, the same thigh injury at the Italian Open forced her to withdraw from the entire grass season, including the Wimbledon qualifying rounds. Sharapova was given another wildcard at the Stanford Classic, her first hard court tournament since the 2016 Australian Open. Her first round opponent was Jennifer Brady, whom she defeated in three sets. The win also pushed Sharapova back inside the top 150. Sharapova withdrew from the next round with a left arm injury. She was

title: Maria Sharapova

text: been taking the medicine for the past ten years. But on January 1st [2016] the rules had changed and meldonium became a prohibited substance which I had not known. I was given this medicine by my doctor for several health issues that I was having in 2006. Meldonium is not approved for use in the United States, Sharapova's country of residence; however, it is legal to use in Russia, the country that Sharapova represents in tennis. The drug's inventor Ivars Kalviņš said that he did not think taking it should be construed as "doping", but he also said that it

title: Maria Sharapova

text: quarterfinals in straight sets to set up a re-match with Daria Gavrilova. She beat Gavrilova in straight sets to advance to the final, where she faced Carla Suárez Navarro. After losing the first set, Sharapova managed to claim the next two sets and her third Rome title. By winning Rome, Sharapova reclaimed the No. 2 ranking over Halep, until August 24, when Halep went again to world No. 2, due to Sharapova's not playing any match after Wimbledon (where she reached the semifinals but lost to Serena), including US Open, due to injuries. She then received a wildcard into Wuhan

title: Maria Sharapova

text: shoulder injury, and thus she did not play. In the 2011 first-round tie, Sharapova played Virginie Razzano of France and lost. Sharapova was supposed to play Alizé Cornet but she was suffering from a viral illness. Teammate Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova played and defeated Cornet to secure the 3–2 win for Russia against France. Sharapova continued to participate in 2012 and helped Russia to a 3–2 win against Spain in the first-round tie. Sharapova defeated Silvia Soler Espinosa in the first rubber, but was unable to play her second rubber due to illness. In 2015, Sharapova helped Russia earn a place in

title: Maria Sharapova

text: look forward to working with her", and announced that they intended to extend their contract. They also suggested that WADA should prove scientifically why the drug should be banned. The United Nations Development Programme suspended Sharapova from her role as a goodwill ambassador on March 16, while expressing thanks for her support of their work over the previous nine years. On April 12, WADA intimated that athletes who tested positive for meldonium before March 1 could avoid bans, but the International Tennis Federation said that Sharapova's case would proceed. On June 8, the ITF announced that Sharapova would be suspended

title: Maria Sharapova

text: No. 1 ranking. Sharapova participated in the first Grand Slam of the season at the Australian Open, where she was the 14th seed, but lost to Andrea Petkovic in the fourth round. She also had to pull out of the 2011 Dubai Tennis Championships and 2011 Qatar Ladies Open because of an ear infection. Sharapova returned to the tour in March by taking part in the 2011 BNP Paribas Open, where she was seeded 16th. She defeated former world No. 1 Dinara Safina, in the fourth round en route to the semifinal, where she lost to world No. 1 Caroline

title: Maria Sharapova

text: by losing in the semifinals of the Australian Open in three sets to Henin, also losing a rematch several weeks later at the Dubai Tennis Championships, having defeated former world No. 1 Martina Hingis and world No. 3 Lindsay Davenport in earlier rounds of the tournament. Sharapova claimed her first title in nine months at the Tier I tournament in Indian Wells, defeating Hingis in the semifinals and Elena Dementieva in the final. She reached the final in Miami before losing to Kuznetsova. Sharapova returned for the French Open. There, after saving match points in defeating Mashona Washington in the

title: Maria Sharapova

text: Japan Open Tennis Championships. In October, Sharapova defeated Venus Williams en route to making the final of a Tier I event for the first time at the Zurich Open, losing in the final to Alicia Molik. She then made her debut at the year-ending WTA Tour Championships. There, she won two of her three round-robin matches (including a win over US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova) in order to advance to the semifinals, where she defeated Myskina. In the final, she defeated Serena Williams, after trailing 4–0 in the final set. Sharapova started the year at the Australian Open, where she

title: Maria Sharapova

text: 2003, Sharapova played a full season and made a rapid climb into the top 50 by the end of the year. She made her debuts at both the Australian Open and the French Open, but failed to win a match in either. Then, as a wildcard at Wimbledon, she defeated 11th seed Jelena Dokić, her first win over a top-20 player, to reach the fourth round, where she lost in three sets to Svetlana Kuznetsova. By the end of September, Sharapova had already captured her first WTA title at a smaller event, the Japan Open Tennis Championships, before winning her

title: Maria Sharapova

text: least one singles title a year from 2003 until 2015, a streak only bested by Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova, and Chris Evert. Several tennis pundits and former players have called Sharapova one of tennis's best competitors, with John McEnroe calling her one of the best the sport has ever seen. Sharapova has been featured in a number of modeling assignments, including a feature in the "Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue". She has appeared in many advertisements, including those for Nike, Prince, and Canon, and has been the face of several fashion houses, most notably Cole Haan. Since February 2007, she has

title: 2015 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: career record against Pennetta to 3–3. Prior to this, Pennetta had been the only player present at the event to hold a winning record over Sharapova. In the semifinal, Sharapova looked to avenge a 2014 group stage defeat to Petra Kvitová at the same venue, but lost in straight sets, despite taking a big lead in the second set. Following her semifinal defeat, Sharapova finished the year ranked #4, a drop of two places from 2014. Sharapova concluded her season by leading Russia in the Fed Cup final against the Czech Republic away in Prague. Though she had participated in

title: 2015 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: Her place in the main draw was given to lucky loser Daria Kasatkina. Having not competed since her Wimbledon semifinal defeat, Sharapova made her return to the tour in late September, accepting a wildcard into the main draw at the Wuhan Open. Seeded second, Sharapova received a bye into the second round where she met Barbora Strýcová. However, while leading 2—1 in the final set, Sharapova retired from the match, citing a left forearm injury. Following her retirement in Wuhan, Sharapova announced her withdrawal from the following weeks China Open. She had been the defending champion at the event, but

title: 2015 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: streak on clay where Sharapova won the first set and went on to win the match. The last time Sharapova lost a match on clay after winning the first set was against Dinara Safina in the fourth round at the 2008 French Open. Following the defeat, Sharapova dropped to third in the WTA rankings behind Simona Halep. Having lost her last three matches, Sharapova next entered the 2015 Mutua Madrid Open, where she was the defending champion. Seeded third, she faced a potentially tricky first round tie against Timea Bacsinszky, but won comfortably in straight sets, snapping her losing streak

title: 2015 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: lucky loser Mariana Duque Mariño and won in 68 minutes. In the quarterfinals, Sharapova faced Magdaléna Rybáriková for the first time. She won in three sets, despite struggling with a stomach virus. Sharapova was expected to face Caroline Garcia in the semifinals, but withdrew on the morning of the match due to the virus, giving Garcia a walkover into the final. Sharapova returned to action in March, competing in Indian Wells. She was seeded second, only defending third rounds after a surprise loss to Camila Giorgi in 2014. After receiving a bye in the first round, Sharapova faced Yanina Wickmayer

title: 2015 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: tournament was the first major of the year, the Australian Open. She was seeded second in the draw, defending fourth round points after losing in 2014 to Dominika Cibulková. In the first round, Sharapova drew Croatian qualifier Petra Martić and won in straight sets. In the second round, Sharapova beat qualifier and fellow countrywoman Alexandra Panova in three sets, despite being down two breaks and saving two match points in the final set. Following her close call with elimination, Sharapova rebounded to win her next two matches in straight sets over Zarina Diyas and Peng Shuai. In the quarterfinals, Sharapova

title: 2010 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: by Zheng Jie of China in three sets. Following the defeat, Sharapova then withdrew from Miami citing an elbow injury. This was the third year in a row in which Sharapova was forced to miss the North American hard-court season concluder. After a few weeks off the tour, Sharapova returned at the Madrid Open in May, but, as it was at the Australian Open earlier in the year, her tournament would be another short affair, as she fell in the first round to Lucie Šafářová. Following the early exit in Madrid, Sharapova then entered the Internationaux de Strasbourg as a

title: 2014 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: the first set and a 4–1 deficit in the second to win the match 6–3, 7–5. In the third round, Sharapova faced eleventh seed Ana Ivanovic, who she defeated in Stuttgart. Despite Sharapova winning their last six meetings, she lost to Ivanovic 1–6, 4–6. Sharapova was seeded seventh at this year French Open. She played Ksenia Pervak, Tsvetana Pironkova and Paula Ormaechea in the opening rounds, and dominated all three matches in straight sets, including a "double bagel" over Ormaechea. In round four Sharapova played Australian 19th seed Samantha Stosur. She dropped the first set and found herself 3–4 down

title: 2014 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: first title that Sharapova has ever won on three occasions in her career. Next, Sharapova traveled to Spain, for the Mutua Madrid Open, a Premier Mandatory event. She entered the tournament as the eighth seed, defending finalist points after her defeat to Serena Williams in the 2013 title decider. Following a comfortable first round victory over Klára Koukalová, Sharapova was forced to rally from a 1–4 deficit in the final set against Christina McHale in the second round, eventually prevailing 6–1, 4–6, 6–4. In the third round, Sharapova continued her dominance over Australian Samantha Stosur, earning a 6–4, 6–3 victory,

title: 2015 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: and won in straight sets. In the third round, she faced former world #1 Victoria Azarenka for the first time since the 2013 French Open. After two close sets and five missed match points, Sharapova prevailed, tying her career record against Azarenka to seven wins each. She failed to progress deeper into the tournament when she lost to defending champion Flavia Pennetta in the fourth round in three sets. Sharapova's next tournament was in Miami. She was seeded second, defending semifinalist points after losing to eventual champion Serena Williams in 2014. After receiving a bye in the first round, Sharapova

title: 2014 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: 4–6, 6–2, 2–6. After almost a month of inactivity, Sharapova returned to the tour at the inaugural tournament at Wuhan. As the fourth seed, she received a bye in the first round, before facing Svetlana Kuznetsova for the first time in over three years, defeating her compatriot in three sets. Her run at the tournament came to an abrupt end in the next round, when she was stunned by world #61 Timea Bacsinszky in two close sets. Sharapova next played at the China Open in Beijing, her first return to the event since defeat at the hands of Victoria Azarenka

title: 2014 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: down the complaints stating "I think you just get numb to [the heat], it just doesn't faze you any more. I'm happy – these are the matches that you work for." Next, Sharapova had a much easier time in the third round, defeating French 25th seed Alizé Cornet in straight sets 6–1, 7–6. Her run however came to an end in the fourth round, when she lost in three sets to the Slovakian 20th seed (and eventual finalist) Dominika Cibulková. Sharapova had won the first set 6–3, but the lost the next two sets to be eliminated from the competition.

title: Maria Sharapova

text: her opener, she won in 3 sets. In the following round she lost in 3 sets to Muguruza's compatriot, Carla Suárez Navarro. At the 2014 Western & Southern Open, Sharapova was seeded 5th and defeated Madison Keys after having a first round bye. She then went on to defeat Pavlyuchenkova and newly crowned world No. 2 Simona Halep to reach the last four. She faced Ivanovic again but lost in a roller coaster three-setter despite having two match points. Sharapova then travelled to New York for the US Open where she was the 5th seed. She defeated compatriot Maria Kirilenko

title: Maria Sharapova

text: would mean another drop in ranking, bringing her to world No. 7. In April, she won Stuttgart Open, her first title of the year and 30th of her career by defeating Ana Ivanovic in three sets. Stuttgart is the only tournament Sharapova has won three times. In May, Maria won the Madrid Open, her second title of the year and first in Madrid, defeating Simona Halep in three sets. With nine clay titles, she joins Venus Williams as the third most successful active player on the surface. Sharapova then competed in the Italian Open in Rome, where she made the

title: Maria Sharapova

text: where she was beaten in straight sets by Serena Williams. At the 2014 Australian Open Sharapova, ranked 3rd, was knocked out of the tournament in the 4th round by the 20th seed, and eventual finalist, Dominika Cibulková. Sharapova lost the match in 3 sets. Sharapova then participated in GDF Suez where she was upset in the semifinals to fellow Russian and eventual tournament winner Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in three sets. In March, playing in the Indian Wells Masters, she was beaten by 22-year-old Italian Camila Giorgi in the third round, in three sets. Therefore, due to the WTA ranking system, this

title: Maria Sharapova

text: her serve. The shoulder injury resulted in not only her inconsistent first serves, but also her hitting high numbers of double faults. Two-time US Open singles champion Tracy Austin believes that Sharapova often loses confidence in the rest of her game when she experiences problems with her serve and consequently produces more unforced errors and generally plays more tentatively, while tennis writer Joel Drucker remarked that her serve was the "catalyst for her entire game", and that her struggles with it left her "unmasked." In her return from layoff in 2008 to 2009, she used an abbreviated motion, which was

title: 2005 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: was her first loss after winning the opening set since May. Sharapova qualified for the year-end WTA Tour Championships for the second year in a row, having picked up three titles during the season. She was drawn in the Green Group along with Lindsay Davenport, Patty Schnyder and Nadia Petrova. Sharapova won two of her three matches, the only loss coming to Petrova in the last match. Sharapova qualified for the semi-finals after finishing first in her group; thus, the semi-final saw her drawn against Amélie Mauresmo, in which she was defeated in straight sets, bringing an end to her

title: 2004 Maria Sharapova tennis season

text: US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova and Vera Zvonareva. Sharapova won two of her three matches, the only loss coming to Mauresmo in her first match. Sharapova qualified for the semi-finals after finishing second in the group behind Mauresmo; thus, the semi-final saw her drawn against French Open champion and Red Group leader Anastasia Myskina, which she won in three sets. The final saw her up against Serena Williams for the third time in the year. After losing the first set, and trailing 0–4 in the final set, Sharapova defeated her for the second (and to date last) time this year,