Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Maria Sharapova celebrates in Australian Open

MashaAO2007.jpg
Maria Sharapova celebrates in Australian Open 2007
Nick name Masha (diminutive)
Country Russia
Residence Bradenton, Florida, USA
Date of birth April 19, 1987 (1987-04-19) (age 23)
Place of birth Nyagan, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[1]
Turned pro April 19, 2001
Plays Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Career prize money US$13,840,094
Singles
Career record 356 – 85 (81.0%)
Career titles 22 WTA
Highest ranking No. 1 (August 22, 2005)
Current ranking No. 18 (February 28, 2011)[2]
Grand Slam results
Australian Open W (2008)
French Open SF (2007)
Wimbledon W (2004)
US Open W (2006)
Other tournaments
Championships W (2004)
Doubles
Career record 23–17
Career titles 3
Highest ranking 41 (June 14, 2004)
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open 2R (2003, 2004)
US Open 2R (2003)


Maria Sharapova’s new attire a classic little ensemble

Tennis – and fashion – fans in New Zealand will be the first to see what glamour player Maria Sharapova will be wearing on court next year when she unveils a new outfit at January’s ASB Classic.


Pictures have emerged of Sharapova’s planned outfit for the Australian Open and it’s customary for players to wear the same clothes at the Classic as they’ll wear in the first Grand Slam of the year.
Sharapova, the world No 18 and top seed in Auckland, will wear the “Oz Open Ace Dress”, which is made of lightweight dri-FIT material by her Nike sponsors.
This is supposed to let her move freely around the court while absorbing sweat and moisture from her skin.


The dress is peach and grey, although there is a two-piece variant, which is peach on top with pink trim and a grey skirt.
Sharapova was involved in the design process, including being responsible for the “boomerang back”, which will see her back revealed more than in most other outfits.
“What we like to think about for the Australian Open is keeping our female athletes as unrestricted as possible,” said Janice Lucena, creative director of Nike Tennis.

Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova




All About Maria Yuryevna Sharapova
Maria Yuryevna Sharapova (russ. Мария Юрьевна Шарапова, IPA: [mɐˈrʲijə ʂɐˈrapəvə] ( listen); born April 19, 1987) is a former World No. 1 Russian professional tennis player. In a career marred by serious injury, Sharapova has won 22 WTA singles titles, 3 WTA doubles titles and 3 Grand Slam singles titles, consisting of the 2004 Wimbledon, 2006 US Open and 2008 Australian Open. She was also runner-up at the 2007 Australian Open. She has also won the year-ending Sony Ericsson Championships in 2004. Since her shoulder injury in 2008, she has not recovered her championship form.

The Women's Tennis Association has ranked her World No. 1 in singles on 4 separate occasions. She regained this ranking for the fourth time on May 19, 2008. She became the World No.1 for the first time on Aug 22, 2005. She is currently ranked World No. 18.

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.

Sharapova's public profile extends beyond tennis, as she has been featured in a number of modeling assignments, including a feature in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Also she has been featured in many advertisements including Nike, Prince, Canon and many more, also being the face of many fashion houses, primarily Cole Haan. Sharapova was the most searched-for athlete on Yahoo! in both 2005 and 2008.[1][3][4] Since February 2007, she has been a United Nations Development Project Goodwill Ambassador, concerned specifically with the Chernobyl Recovery and Development Programme.

Sharapova became engaged to her boyfriend, NBA basketball player Sasha Vujačić, after they had been dating for nearly a year