The beauty was born in 1987 and followed her parents from Siberia to the coastal city of Sochi at the age of three. A year later, little Sharapova began to get acquainted with tennis when she was given a racket by Aleksandr Kafelnikov – father of famous tennis player Yevgeny Kafelnikov. After undergoing her first tennis lessons with former Russian tennis coach Yuri Yutkin, “Russian Doll” was introduced to practice at the legendary Martina Navratilova’s center in Moscow.
Realizing Sharapova’s talent, Martina Navratilova advised her family to let her go to America to develop her career. With 700 USD in his pocket and not knowing a word of English, Sharapova’s father – Mr. Yuri – immigrated to America with his only daughter in 1994. At that time, Sharapova was not yet 7 years old. Her mother – Mrs. Yelena – had visa problems so two years later she came to reunite with her father and son. Sharapova’s father had to work many jobs so that his daughter could continue to learn to play tennis until she was old enough to be accepted into the IMG training academy and receive a scholarship. Being separated from her mother since childhood and being bullied at the academy has forged a tough and strong Sharapova.
The Russian girl became famous around the world at the age of 17 after defeating her senior Serena Williams in the Wimbledon final. A year later, Sharapova became world number one and won her second Grand Slam title at the 2006 US Open. The Russian beauty completed a complete set of 4 Grand Slams when winning the 2008 Australian Open and winning the Roland Garros crown twice in 2008. 2012 and 2014. Sharapova earned nearly 40 million USD in prize money through tournaments. With talent and beauty, she was known as the Queen of tennis at her peak.
In 2016, Sharapova was banned from competing for more than a year because she tested positive for a banned substance. Returning after her punishment in 2017, she struggled with injuries and lost form. In early 2020, the Russian beauty said goodbye to tennis.
With great talent and beauty, Sharapova also attracts brands. Brands such as Nike, Evian, Porsche, Tag Heuer, Avon signed sponsorship contracts with her. During her peak years, Sharapova always topped the list of the richest female athletes in the world. The beauty is also a regular guest at fashion events such as New York Fashion Week or Met Gala, appearing many times in magazines. It is estimated that Sharapova’s personal assets are worth 300 million pounds.
The beauty’s business is also favorable. In 2013, Sharapova founded Sugarpova candy company, investing 400,000 pounds. Initially, “Russian Doll” received a lot of criticism for selling sweets and targeting young customers. But she ignored all criticism. To date, Sugarpova is valued at about 150 million pounds. Each year the company profits 16 million pounds, and has candy and chocolate products appearing in 22 countries. Sharapova coordinated with the National Association of Women Entrepreneurs to participate in mentoring female entrepreneurs in 2018.
Leaving the felt ball industry, the attraction of “Russian Doll” does not diminish. She is still a familiar face at major events. At the end of May, Sharapova appeared at the F1 Monaco Grand Prix race to present the Cup to champion Max Verstappen when he took the first starting position.
“Forget the tennis legend. She’s now a top businesswoman, making more money than ever. Her journey from world’s sexiest tennis player to global innovation entrepreneur is complete” “, The Sun commented.
In love, Sharapova is quite miserable. She once loved a series of colleagues like Andy Roddick and Grigor Dimitrov but it didn’t work out. In 2010, “Russian Doll” got engaged to handsome basketball player Sasha Vujacic, but two years later, the couple went their separate ways. Currently, Sharapova is happy with her boyfriend, British businessman Alexander Gilkes. The two got engaged at the end of 2020 and welcomed their first son in the summer of 2022.
