Maria Sharapova

Model

Born April 19, 1987 in Nyagan, Siberia, RU

Maria Sharapova was born in Nyagen, Russia on April 19, 1987. Sharapova was practicing tennis since the age of 4, when a friend of her father’s gave Sharapova her first tennis racket, and became a professional tennis player in 2001. At age 14, she was the youngest female to reach the final of the Junior Australia Open. She signed with IMG Models in 2003. By 2007, she was grossing an annual income of $23 million, mostly from endorsements. Depicted in many tennis-related video games, she’s also sponsored by some of the world’s biggest companies such as Nike and Motorola. By July 2008, Sharapova was the world’s highest-paid female athlete, earning $26 million; she gained much acknowledgement both on and off the tennis court. Sharapova has been featured in magazines such as FHM, Sports Illustrated: Swimsuit Issue, Maxim, People, Vanity Fair, and Teen Vogue. Since 2007, Sharapova has been a United Nations Development Project Goodwill Ambassador.