The beauty, born in 1987, 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 Aleksandr Kafelnikov – father of famous compatriot Yevgeny Kafelnikov – gave her a racket. After taking her first tennis lessons with former Russian tennis coach Yuri Yutkin, “Russian Doll” was introduced to practice at the center of the legendary Martina Navratilova in Moscow.
Recognizing Sharapova’s talent, Martina Navratilova advised her family to send her to the US to develop her career. With $700 in her pocket and not knowing a word of English, Sharapova’s father – Yuri – immigrated to the US with his only daughter in 1994. At that time, Sharapova was not yet 7 years old. Her mother – Yelena – had a visa problem and only came to reunite with her and her father two years later. Sharapova’s father had to work many jobs so that his daughter could continue learning 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 at a young age and being bullied at the academy forged a strong, resilient 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 all 4 Grand Slams when she won the 2008 Australian Open and twice won Roland Garros in 2012 and 2014. Sharapova earned nearly 40 million USD in prize money through tournaments. With her talent and beauty, she was known as the Queen of Tennis at her peak.
In 2016, Sharapova was banned for more than a year after testing positive for a banned substance. After returning from the ban in 2017, she struggled with injuries and a decline in form. In early 2020, the Russian beauty said goodbye to tennis.
With her beauty and talent, 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 world’s richest female athletes. The beauty is also a regular at fashion events such as New York Fashion Week or Met Gala, appearing many times in magazines. Sharapova’s personal assets are estimated to be worth 300 million pounds.
The beauty’s business is also favorable. In 2013, Sharapova founded the candy company Sugarpova, investing 400,000 pounds. Initially, “Russian Doll” received a lot of criticism for selling sweets and targeting young customers. But she ignored all the criticism. To date, Sugarpova is valued at about 150 million pounds. Each year, the company profits 16 million pounds, with candy and chocolate products appearing in 22 countries. Sharapova cooperated with the National Association of Women Entrepreneurs to advise female entrepreneurs in 2018.
Away from the tennis world, the appeal of “Russian Doll” has not diminished. She is still a familiar face at major events. At the end of May, Sharapova appeared at the F1 Monaco Grand Prix to award the Cup to champion Max Verstappen when he won the starting position.
“Forget the tennis legend. She’s now a top businesswoman, making more money than ever. Her journey from the world’s sexiest tennis player to global innovator is complete,” commented The Sun.
In love, Sharapova has had a rough time. She has dated a series of colleagues such as 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 British businessman boyfriend Alexander Gilkes. The two got engaged at the end of 2020 and welcomed their first son in the summer of 2022.
