* Maria Sharapova* Country: Russia
* Height: 6-2
* Weight: 130
* Plays: Right-handed
* Born: Apr 19, 1987 Nyagan, Siberia, Russia
Maria Yuryevna Sharapova is a former World No. 1 Russian professional tennis player. Sharapova has won 22 WTA singles titles, 3 WTA doubles titles. She told: "I am Maria Sharapova and not anyone else." You can understand her adamancy. There's the accent, the ponytail, the potential .. the inevitable comparisons to Anna Kournikova. But this Russian stunner has actually won a tourney. Two in fact. "I don't like to lose," Sharapova says. "I don't give up. I'm tough." Tough like her parents who were expecting their first (and only) child when they fled Belarus for Siberia in 1986. The most eligible bachelorette in tennis is off the market. Three-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova got engaged to her boyfriend, Los Angeles Lakers guard Sasha Vujacic, after he proposed on Tuesday night at his Manhattan Beach, Calif. home. The two had been dating for nearly a year. TMZ was the first to report the news. Sharapova's agent has since confirmed it to CNBC's Darren Rovell. Sharapova and Vujacic first went public with their relationship last November when they were seen cuddling at a U2 concert in Los Angeles. Since then, the relationship has become the fodder of tabloids and paparazzi, as the athletes have been photographed together in Los Angeles and Italy, where they vacationed. Sharapova made her professional breakthrough in 2004 when, at age 17, she upset two-time defending champion and top seed Serena Williams in the 2004 Wimbledon final for her first Grand Slam singles title. She entered the top ten of the WTA Rankings with this win. Despite not winning a major in 2005, Sharapova briefly held the number one ranking, and reached three Grand Slam semifinals, losing to the eventual champion each time. She ultimately won her second major at the 2006 US Open defeating then-World No. 1 Amélie Mauresmo in the semifinals and World No. 2 Justine Henin in the final. Sharapova's 2007 season was plagued with a chronic shoulder injury, and saw her ranking fall out of the top 5 for the first time in two years. She ultimately won her third Grand Slam at the 2008 Australian Open, defeating Henin in the quarterfinals and Ana Ivanović in the final. After reclaiming the number one ranking in May 2008, Sharapova's shoulder problems re-surfaced, ultimately requiring surgery in October and forcing her out of the game for nearly ten months. Sharapova returned in May 2009 and was ranked No. 126 in the world due to her extensive lay-off. Since her comeback, Sharapova has won 3 singles titles (bringing her career total to 22) and improved her ranking.
