Maria Sharapova born on April 19, 1987 is a Russian professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. As of 10 September 2007, she is the fourth-ranked female player in the world. At the end of 2006, she was the world's highest-paid female athlete.
Sharapova has won two Grand Slam singles titles. She is a former U.S. Open champion, having defeated Justine Henin in the final of the 2006 U.S. Open. Two years earlier, she defeated Serena Williams in the final at Wimbledon.
She became the fifteenth woman and the first from Russia to hold the world's No. 1 ranking in August 2005, and finished 2005 as the fourth-ranked player in the world. Maria was also named as one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People" in 2005.