Here are some lesser known fun facts about tennis champion Maria Sharapova.
1. He started playing tennis at the age of four. He then went to train at a tennis academy in Florida when he was just nine years old.
2. She is home schooled and studies through the Internet. She has no particular plans to attend a university, as she believes that there is absolutely no point in spending precious time in university to develop a career when she is already paid handsomely in endorsement deals and prize money.
3. On her 14th birthday, she became a professional tennis player.
4. Sharapova, at the age of fifteen, is the youngest person to reach the final of the Australian Open junior tournament.
5. He prefers Thai and Russian cuisine. His favorite dish is the crepes served with a Nutella cream.
6. Her favorite drink to drink is Orangina.
7. Some of her favorite movies are Pearl Harbor, Mona Lisa Smile, and Love Actually.
8. Off the courts, she is interested in fashion and modeling. She is a swimsuit model and is signed to the IMG modeling agency.
9. Maria Sharapova’s profile was the most searched on Yahoo from 2005 to 2008. Apparently, people were interested in more than Maria Sharapova’s stats.
10. He won his first Grand Slam title at the age of seventeen.
11. He signed his first endorsement deal with Nike when he was just eleven years old.
12. She’s not just a world-renowned superstar; she is also a UN Goodwill Ambassador.
13. His parents are survivors of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster; Sharapova has donated generously to Chernobyl-related projects.
14. She was first seen by tennis legend Martina Navratilova, who advised her father to take his daughter to train at the Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida.
15. Her last name ‘Sharapova’ is actually pronounced “sharr-AA-puh-vuh” instead of “shuh-ruh-POH-vuh.”
16. She became the first Russian woman to reach the top rankings when she was awarded Number One in August 2005.
17. She is a keen stamp collector.
18. Forbes magazine has named her the highest-paid female athlete for seven years in a row. She earned a staggering $25 million in 2010, on top of a $70 million endorsement deal she closed with Nike.
19. She is dating former American tennis star Andy Roddick.
20. In 2007, she made it to the top ten eligible bachelorette list, beating out Paris Hilton and Keira Knightley.