Maria Sharapova

Maria Sharapova began her tennis journey early, training in Russia before moving to the United States at age 7 with her father to attend the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida. She turned professional in 2001 at age 14 and quickly rose to prominence, winning her first WTA titles in 2003. Her breakthrough came in 2004 at Wimbledon, where she defeated top-seeded Serena Williams to claim her first Grand Slam title at 17. Sharapova dominated in the mid-2000s, reaching World No. 1 in 2005 and holding the ranking for 21 weeks total. She completed the career Grand Slam with French Open wins in 2012 and 2014. A 2016 suspension for meldonium doping marked a low point, but Sharapova returned strongly, winning the 2017 Tianjin Open as her 36th and final WTA title. She retired in February 2020, citing injuries and a desire for new challenges. Post-retirement, she launched Sugarpova candy in 2012, authored her autobiography 'Unstoppable: My Life So Far' in 2017, and pursued business interests in fashion, tech investments, and career mentoring.