From an unknown nobody in Siberia to a world-class champion, and from a borrowed $700 to a multi-millionairess, Maria Yuryevna Sharapova has just been selected as Babe of the Month by ChicagoBachelor.com . She is now a world-class professional tennis player. In December 2006, she became the World's highest-paid female athlete.
Maria's journey to become one of the champions in the world of professional tennis symbolizes her courage, dedication, determination and sheer will-power to win. Her story is one of sacrifice, focus, consistency and extraordinary talent. She was born on 19 April 1987, in the Russian industrial town of Nyagan in western Siberia. Her parents , Yuri and Yelena Sharapova, had relocated from Homyel, Belarus, to escape the aftermath of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster. They moved again in 1989 to the Black Sea resort town of Sochi. It was here that Maria developed her love for tennis. Watching her father on the courts, 4-year-old Maria learned to play by using a second-hand racket. Her father quickly recognised and nurtured her exceptional talent.In October 1993, her talent was confirmed from an unexpected source. Maria and Yuri were attending tennis clinics held in Moscow during the Kremlin Cup when the legendary champion Martina Navratilova happened to spot the 6-year-old Maria hitting balls on the court. Martina commended Yuri, "She has talent!" Yuri took her words to heart. He and his wife, Yelena, decided to help their only child to realise her potential. In pursuit of this dream, Yuri and Maria flew to the United States in March 1995, leaving Yelena behind in Russia to finish college and await a two-year visa restriction. The odds were against the father and daughter from the moment they touched down in Miami. Neither of them spoke English and Yuri had only $700 in his pocket, the money he had borrowed from Maria's grandparents. Several days and many bus rides later, Yuri and his 8-year-old daughter arrived uninvited at Nick Bollettieri's Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Although the Academy's coaches immediately recognized Maria's talent, she was too young to be enrolled as a full-time student. Yet Yuri was not discouraged. Believing in his daughter's talent, he settled near the Academy and coached Maria himself by using public and private tennis courts.
Their perseverance paid off in December 1995, when Maria received a scholarship to the IMG (International Management Group) Academy as a full-time student. She had to live on the prestigious campus and could only see her father on weekends. Her separation from him, combined with constant bullying by dorm-mates nearly twice her age, influenced, impacted and intensified her resolve to succeed. After obtaining a U.S. visa, her mother finally reunited with Maria and Yuri in June 1996. Then Maria moved out of the campus dorm and lived with her parents in a rented apartment while she continued to perfect her tennis skills at the Academy under Nick Bollettieri.
Shortly after, because of certain remarks Nick Bollettieri had said, Yuri switched her daughter's coach to Robert Lansdorp, the tenis guru who has trained and developed champions such as Tracy Austin, Pete Sampras, Anastasia Myskina, and Lindsay Davenport. Lansdorp has always stayed in the background. However, he is the chap who developed many kid players to stardom. This is what Maria said of him: "When my father and I got to the tennis court Robert was talking to someone over the telephone, he paid just little attention to us. When he hung up he looked at me and asked my name. I told my name. "What Maria?" I then told my last name, and the coach seemed to like it. Then I went to the court as my father and I usually had warming-up in the courts. But the coach cried behind us that his trainees always played on the backline. This is how our work started. Robert helped me a lot; he made a fighter of me. He taught me to deliver strong and stable shots after shots. This is a required condition to beat such tennis players as Jelena Dokic."In November 2000, 13-year-old Maria exploded onto the World Tennis Stage with an impressive win in the Girls' 16-and-under Eddie Herr Championships. Her first professional tournament quickly followed in April 2001 and her first WTA tournament in 2002. In a highly competitive sport where many tried but few succeeded, Maria Sharapova's drive and determination will inspire young girls for years to come. From her 2004 Wimbledon championship, to being the first Russian female to ever claim the Number One Ranking in the World, to being the 5th youngest female to ever hold the Number One spot, to her growing list of corporate endorsements and sponsorships, Maria symbolizes what hard work, unwavering commitment, sheer determination and world-class training can achieve: A Front-Row Seat on the World's Stage.
MARIA SHARAPOVA'S ACHIEVEMENTS
Singles Titles:
2004: Birmingham, Wimbledon, Soeul, Tokyo & WTA Championships
2005: Tokyo, Doha and Birmingham Championships
2006: US Open Championship.
Doubles Titles:
2003: Tokyo, Luxembourg
2004: Birmingham
BEST GRAND SLAM PERFORMANCES
Australian Open: Final
Roland Garros: Quarters
Wimbledon: Champion
US Open: Champion
Hidden behind Maria's chiseled game face and completely obscured by her dominance of her first two opponents at the U.S. Open, a revamped serve and a resolute eye on her future have been the most remarkable part of her early appearances. Maria might have the outward appearance of a tennis diva but behind the flash is a remade service motion that she hopes will help her defend her US Open Title. So far, it has worked wonders. She demolished the 90th-ranked Dellacqua, 6-1, 6-0, and has lost only two games in her first two matches. But even Sharapova had no illusions that she had served as well as the automatic serve timer said she did. At one point in her match, on a second serve, it flashed 129 miles an hour, or 206 kph. That ties with a Grand Slam record set by Venus Williams, well known for her powerful serves. When asked what she thought of the 129 mph serve, she said, "It was definitely a mistake because one, I've never hit 129 in my life, let alone a second serve. Two, it definitely didn't feel like a 129. So it was definitely wishful thinking."
The Garuda - 1st September 2007.
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