Maria Yuryevna Sharapova (Russian: Мари́я Ю́рьевна Шара́пова listen ) (born April 19, 1987) is a Russian professional tennis player who is currently ranked World No. 1. At the end of 2006, she was the world's highest-paid female athlete.[2]
Sharapova has won three Grand Slam singles titles. In 2004, she beat Serena Williams to take the Wimbledon title at the age of 17. Two years later, she defeated Justine Henin in the final of the 2006 U.S. Open. At the 2008 Australian Open, she beat Ana Ivanovic in the final. Sharapova has been ranked in the top 10 since winning Wimbledon, the longest of any current female tennis player.[citation needed]. Although she has never been the year-end World No. 1, she achieved that ranking in 2005 (twice) and 2007 before relinquishing it before the end of those years.