When and where was Maria Sharapova born?
Maria Yuryevna Sharapova entered the world in 1987 in Nyagan, Russian SFSR. Her parents Yuri and Yelena had fled Gomel to escape radiation from the Chernobyl nuclear accident of 1986.
Questions about Maria Sharapova
Short answers, pulled from the story.
How did Maria Sharapova start playing tennis?
Aleksandr Kafelnikov gave four-year-old Maria her first racquet in 1991. She practiced regularly with her father at a local park before attending a tennis clinic in Moscow run by Martina Navratilova in 1993.
What happened during Maria Sharapova's 2016 drug suspension?
Maria Sharapova failed a drug test at the 2016 Australian Open testing positive for meldonium which had been banned effective the 1st of January 2016 by the World Anti-Doping Agency. The International Tennis Federation suspended her from playing tennis for two years on the 8th of June 2016 but reduced it to 15 months starting from the 26th of January 2016.
When did Maria Sharapova reach number one in the world rankings?
Maria Sharapova reached number 1 in the world rankings on the 22nd of August 2005 at age 18. This made her the first Russian woman to top the singles rankings and she became world number 1 again after winning the 2012 French Open.
How many Grand Slam titles did Maria Sharapova win?
Maria Sharapova won five major titles including her first Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon in 2004 where she defeated Serena Williams. She completed the Career Grand Slam with the French Open victory making her only the tenth woman to do so.