Maria Yuryevna Sharápova (Мари́я Ю́рьевна Шара́пова ) (born April 19, 1987) is a Russian professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. As of February 14, 2008, she is the fifth-ranked female player in the world. At the end of 2006, she was the world's highest-paid female athlete.

Sharapova has won three Grand Slam singles titles. In 2004, she beat Serena Williams to take the Wimbledon title at the age of 17. Two years later, she defeated Justine Henin in the final of the 2006 U.S. Open. At the 2008 Australian Open, she beat Ana Ivanović in the final.