Maria Sharapova

Trivia

• Maria was offered a part in Desperate Housewives but declined, saying that she is not desperate and not a wife.
• Maria was seeded #4 at the 2006 Australian Open.
• She plays right handed.
• She plays with a 2 handed backhand.
• Maria was the 2004 women's Wimbledon champion, defeating two-time defending champion Serena Williams 6-1, 6-4.
• She was born in Siberia, Russia.
• She was raised in the United States since the age of seven.
• Her father Yuri brought her to the U.S. in 1994, but her mother Yelena didn't join them until two years later due to a problem gaining a visa.
• She was and still is ambidextrous and nearly became a left-handed tennis player instead of right-handed.
• She won the 2004 WTA Championship, defeating Serena Williams 4-6, 6-2, 6-4.

Quotes

• “I thought I played really well, ... I was in control for most of the match.”
• “I'm very disappointed I am not able to continue my play in Philadelphia. I was having a really good tournament and I'm sure it will still be an exciting final weekend. I just wish I could be a part of it.”
• “It's good to finish the year with a win. But I didn't want to win like that.”
• “I now have two titles (singles and doubles) under my belt and it feels great, ... I think with these things, it is a matter of time. If you put in the hard work - and I have worked so hard - I think this week really showed and it paid off.”
• “I'm 17 years old and there are many great things ahead. If I don't win the U.S. Open this year, it's not going to be a disaster in my life.”
• “I think today I played much better, especially in the first set, than in my first match on Wednesday.”
• “I wasn't winning that match. She was doing the right things and I wasn't.”
• “That's not the way I like to win matches, but anything can happen in tennis.”
• “I know I didn't win this match fairly.”
• “I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous before the match, ... I knew she was a strong player. I wasn't myself on the court today.”