
Maria Yuryevna Sharápova
is a Russian professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. As of November 19, 2007, she is the fifth-ranked female player in the world. 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 Ivanović in the final.
At 6'2", Sharapova is one of the tallest women currently in the women's game. Only Lindsay Davenport has been a taller Grand Slam champion in the 21st Century.
Sharapova has in the past confirmed that her surname should be pronounced with the second syllable stressed, but English-speakers commonly and mistakenly stress the third syllable.