After making her debut in the early 2000s, Maria Sharapova instantly managed to become a fan favorite. After turning pro, the Russian defeated Serena Williams to become the 2004 Wimbledon champion and never looked back.
Playing at the top level, Sharapova also managed to become one of the most endorsed athletes around the world in a much shorter time. In addition to that, her popularity also skyrocketed in the 2010s, for good as well as bad reasons.
Consequently, she doesn’t only love tennis. Maria Sharapova is also a huge fan of skiing. It’s understandable as she hails from Russia where Winter sports are rightly celebrated. After she retired from tennis, Sharapova started giving time to skiing.
Interestingly, the former Russian tennis professional has also revealed that she’s not interested in coaching the game. Most players look at tennis coaching as a safe option after retirement from their playing career, however, Sharapova doesn’t feel the same.
According to a report by The New York Times, the 36-year-old loves studying architecture as well as design. Maria also wishes to apply what she has learned in sports and her other ventures as well.
How many Grand Slams does Maria Sharapova have?
After making her debut in 2001, Maria Sharapova won her first Grand Slam title in 2004 at All England Lawn Tennis Club after defeating Serena Williams in the final. Seeded thirteenth, 17-year-old Sharapova took down the likes of Lindsay Davenport, Ai Sugiyama, Amy Frazier, Daniela Hantuchová, and more to reach the final and eventually triumph in the title.
In 2006, she recorded her first US Open and second overall Major, defeating Justine Henin in the final 6–4, 6–4. After a similar gap of two years, she recorded her first Australian Open title after she took down Ana Ivanovic.
66.7% – Iga Swiatek is now the player with the highest percentage of WTA-1000 clay courts QFs reached since the introduction of the format in 2009 (66.7%, 4/6 – equalling Maria Sharapova) – min. 3 appearances. Duster.#IBI23 | @InteBNLdItalia @WTA @WTA_insider pic.twitter.com/DQH8vR3Ol5
— OptaAce (@OptaAce) May 16, 2023
In 2012, Maria Sharapova completed her career Grand Slam after she won her first clay-court Major getting the better of Sara Errani. After two years, fans saw Sharapova lift her fifth and last Grand Slam title, which came at Stade Roland Garros.