Coordinates	40°42′15.0″N73°55′4.0″N
title	The Spectator
image file	The Spectator Magazine 18 September 2010 Front Cover.jpg
company	Press Holdings
total circulation	76,952
circulation year	2008
frequency	Weekly
language	English
category	Politics, Culture
editor	Fraser Nelson
editor title	Editor
firstdate	1828
political	right-wing
country	United Kingdom
website	http://www.spectator.co.uk/ }}

''The Spectator'' is a highly prestigious, weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also own ''The Daily Telegraph''. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture. It generally takes a right-of-centre, conservative editorial line, although regular contributors such as Frank Field and Martin Bright write from a more left-wing perspective. The magazine also has extensive arts pages on books, music, opera, and film and TV reviews. In late 2008, ''Spectator Australia'' was launched. This offers 12 pages of "Unique Australian Content" (including a separate Editorial page) in addition to the full UK contents. The magazine had an ABC circulation figure of 77,146 in 2008.

Editorship of ''The Spectator'' has often been part of a route to high office in the Conservative Party; past editors include Iain Macleod, Ian Gilmour and Nigel Lawson, all of whom became cabinet ministers. Editorship can also be a springboard for a greater role in public affairs, as with Boris Johnson (1999 to 2005), Conservative Mayor of London.

Policy positions

From its founding in 1828 ''The Spectator'' has taken a pro-British line in foreign affairs.

Like its sister publication ''The Daily Telegraph'', ''The Spectator'' is generally Atlanticist and Eurosceptic in outlook, favouring close ties with the United States rather than with the European Union, and it is usually supportive of Israel. However, it has expressed strong doubts about the Iraq war, and some of its contributors, such as Matthew Parris and Stuart Reid, express a more Americosceptic, old-school conservative line. Other contributors such as Irwin Stelzer argue from an American-style neoconservative position. Like much of the British press it is critical of the unilateral extradition treaty that allowed the Natwest three to be extradited, and in July 2006 the magazine devoted a leading article to lambasting the US Senate. According to former editor Boris Johnson, the ''Spectator's'' baseline editorial policy is to "always be roughly speaking in favour of getting rid of Saddam, sticking up for Israel, free-market economics, expanding choice", though it is "not necessarily a Thatcherite Conservative or a neo-conservative magazine, even though in our editorial coverage we tend to follow roughly the conclusions of those lines of arguments."

Cultural positions

''The Spectator'' is one of the few British publications that still ignores or dismisses most popular culture, in the way that (for example) ''The Daily Telegraph'' did under W.F. Deedes, or ''The Times'' did under William Haley. The magazine coined the phrase "young fogey" in 1984 (in an article by Alan Watkins).

''The Spectator'' does have a popular music column, though it only appears every four weeks, while a cinema column contains a review of one film each week by the non-specialist Deborah Ross. By contrast, opera, fine art, books, poetry and classical music all receive extensive weekly coverage.

Contributors

Although there is a permanent staff of writers, ''The Spectator'' has always had room for a wide array of contributors. These have included Donald Hankey ("a student in arms"), Auberon Waugh, Jeffrey Bernard (the "Low Life" column) and Taki (the "High Life" column). Following Bernard's death, the "Low Life" column is now written by Jeremy Clarke. Joan Collins contributes regularly as Guest Diarist, as does Barry Humphries. For the past few years the weekly provider of ''Spectator’s Notes'' has been Charles Moore. Some recent reviewers include semi-residents, Deborah Ross and James Delingpole, notable for their unusual styles of Cinema and TV criticism. John Cleese acted as 'Contributing Editor' ten days after the Ides of March 2009.

The book reviews are often 'outsourced' to outsiders who are experts in the given subject, so consequently it is rare to see the same review author twice in as many weeks. The restaurant section is also an irregular piece. British-born South African journalist Jani Allan is also a former correspondent.

The chess columnist since 1977 has been Raymond Keene, who retains the role despite the unauthorised copying of a piece by Edward Winter for his column of 7 June 2008. The matter was reported in ''Private Eye''.

History

John St. Loe Strachey edited the Spectator from 1887 to 1925.

Ian Gilmour and Henry Keswick as proprietors

Ian Gilmour bought ''The Spectator'' in 1954 and was its editor from 1954 to 1959, refreshing its outlook. The magazine adopted a libertarian and pro-European outlook, and took a position against the Suez War. The magazine was critical of the government of Harold Macmillan, and while still supporting the Conservatives was also friendly to the Hugh Gaitskell wing of the Labour Party. Gilmour sold ''The Spectator'' to the businessman Harold Creighton in 1967 for £75,000.

Creighton’s took the magazine in a new right-wing direction, and strongly opposed British membership of the Common Market. Circulation fell from 36,000 in 1966 to below 17,000, and in 1975 Creighton sold ''The Spectator'' to Henry Keswick, again for £75,000. However Creighton sold the 99 Gower Street premises separately, so the magazine moved to premises in Doughty Street.

Twenty-first century

The magazine has prospered in recent times. Former editor Boris Johnson, who gave ''The Spectator'' more appeal with his famous profile and controversial character, resigned in December 2005, on taking up an appointment as Shadow Minister for Higher Education. Johnson's final months as editor were marred by the negative reaction to an editorial written by Simon Heffer criticising the people of Liverpool for engaging in ''vicarious victimhood'' following the death of Ken Bigley. Johnson made a personal apology. Recent articles have resumed the theme in commenting on public declarations of grief following the murder of Rhys Jones.

The circulation was not at all hindered by the notoriety the magazine achieved after revelations about Johnson's affair with one of his columnists Petronella Wyatt, the extramarital adventures of its publisher Kimberly Quinn and affair of the associate editor Rod Liddle.

The "Kings of the Deal" article

''The Spectator'' caused controversy in 1994 when it printed an article entitled "Kings of the Deal" on a claimed Jewish influence in Hollywood, written by William Cash, who at the time was based in Los Angeles and working mainly for ''The Daily Telegraph''. The ''Telegraph'' had considered the article too risky to publish, but ''Spectator'' editor Dominic Lawson thought Cash's idea was as old as Hollywood itself and that Lawson's being a Jew would mitigate adverse reactions to publication. There was, however, considerable controversy, although owner Conrad Black did not personally rebuke Lawson. Max Hastings, then editor of ''The Daily Telegraph'', wrote with regard to Telegraph group owner Conrad Black, who also owned ''The Jerusalem Post'' at the time, "It was one of the few moments in my time with Conrad when I saw him look seriously rattled: 'You don't understand, Max. My entire interests in the United States and internationally could be seriously damaged by this'."

The article was defended by some conservatives. John Derbyshire, who says he has "complicated and sometimes self-contradictory feelings about Jews", wrote on National Review Online regarding what he saw as the Jewish overreaction to the article that "It was a display of arrogance, cruelty, ignorance, stupidity, and sheer bad manners by rich and powerful people towards a harmless, helpless young writer, and the Jews who whipped up this preposterous storm should all be thoroughly ashamed of themselves".

Editors

Robert Stephen Rintoul 1828, as founder, until his death in 1858

Mr. Scott 1858–61

Meredith Townsend 1861, as sole editor for a short time, then as co-editor with R.H. Hutton until 1886 and sole editor again until 1887

Richard Holt Hutton, as co-editor, 1861–86

John St Loe Strachey 1887–1925

Sir Evelyn Leslie Wrench 1925–32

Henry Wilson Harris 1932–53

Walter Taplin 1953–4

Ian Gilmour 1954–9, also proprietor until 1967

Brian Inglis 1959–62

Iain Hamilton 1962–3

Iain Macleod 1963–5

Nigel Lawson 1966–70

George Gale 1970–73

Harold Creighton 1973–75

Alexander Chancellor 1975–84

Charles Moore 1984–90

Dominic Lawson 1990–5

Frank Johnson 1995–9

Boris Johnson 1999–2005

Matthew d'Ancona 2006–9

Fraser Nelson 2009–

References

Spectator editor Matthew d'Ancona interviewed in The Guardian, 2009-02-2

External links

The Spectator official site

Exact Editions digital edition

The Spectator iPhone/iPad app

Category:Publications established in 1828 Category:British conservative magazines Category:Conservatism in the United Kingdom Category:Weekly magazines Category:Press Holdings Category:1828 establishments in the United Kingdom

cy:The Spectator de:The Spectator (Zeitschrift) es:The Spectator fr:The Spectator (1828) no:The Spectator pl:The Spectator (tygodnik) pt:The Spectator sv:The Spectator (1828) zh:旁觀者

Coordinates	40°42′15.0″N73°55′4.0″N
name	Jens Voigt
fullname	Jens Voigt
birth date	September 17, 1971
birth place	Grevesmühlen, East Germany
height
weight
currentteam
discipline	Road
role	Rider
ridertype	All rounder/Breakaway specialist
amateurteams	Berlin TSC
proyears	19971998–20032004–20102011–
proteams	ZVVZ-Giant-Australian Institute of Sport
majorwins	Tour de France, 3 stages Giro d'Italia, 1 stage Paris-Bourges (2003) Grand Prix des Nations (2001) Deutschland Tour (2006 & 2007) Tour de Pologne (2008) Critérium International (1999, 2004, 2007-09) Tour Méditerranéen (2005)
updated	29 May 2008 }}

Jens Voigt (born 17 September 1971 in Grevesmühlen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, East Germany) is a German professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . Voigt is known for his propensity to attack, and for his positive racing attitude. He is capable of repeated attacking, holding a high tempo, and breaking away from the peloton. He has worn the yellow jersey of the Tour de France twice, though Voigt has never challenged for the overall title due to his lack of ability in the mountains. In cycling folklore, he is considered as one of the best rouleur riders to this day.

He is the riders' representative on the UCI ProTour council, for the Cyclistes Professionels Associés (CPA), and Voigt has spoken against doping.

Voigt is generally popular with cycling fans, both for his riding style and his affable, forthright and articulate style in dealing with the public and media.

Biography

Jens Voigt was born in a small town about 100 km north-east of Hamburg, in the same area as Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich. Jens was encouraged by his parents to participate in sports. His early performance indicated he had good endurance potential, and he joined a national sports school at age 14 and trained in cycling and track and field.

He won the Peace Race in 1994 and topped the UCI "Challenge Mondial Amateurs" rankings in December 1994. After a four-year stint in the German Army, much of it spent with a special sports unit, he started professional cycling in 1997, winning races for the Australian team ZVVZ-Giant-Australian Institute of Sport.

In 1998, with the support of his former Australian Institute of Sport Sports Director, German-born Heiko Salzwedel he moved to the big French team GAN (which became Crédit Agricole) where he spent the five years amassing 20 wins, among them a day in the maillot jaune in the 2000 Tour de France, and a stage in the 2001 Tour de France. Voigt played a part in Jan Ullrich's 2000 Olympic Games win for the German team.

In 2004, Voigt joined his former Crédit Agricole teammate Bobby Julich with a move to , as Saxo Bank was then known. Being tempo specialists, they formed a strong pair as they dominated the 2004 and 2005 LuK Challenge race, a two-man time trial.

Voigt rode the 2004 Tour de France for Team CSC captain Ivan Basso. Voigt and team mate Jakob Piil were often in breakaways, covering the break for CSC. On the 15th stage, Voigt was in a break as Ullrich attacked up the Col de l'Echarasson, leaving race leader Lance Armstrong and 2nd-placed Basso. With Armstrong's team unable to pull Ullrich back in, Voigt was ordered back from his breakaway to help Basso defend his place. Voigt saw Ullrich ride past as he waited for his captain, before he single-handedly closed the gap to Ullrich. Next day was a time trial up the Alpe d'Huez with 900,000 spectators at the roadside. Voigt was heckled by German fans calling him ''Judas'' for his effort to ruin fellow Ullrich's chances. Voigt criticised German TV-channel ARD for starting a witch-hunt against him and pleaded that he was paid by Team CSC, not Germany.

At the start of 2005, Voigt won the Tour Méditerranéen, ahead of team mates Fränk Schleck 2nd and Nicki Sørensen 4th. Voigt won the first UCI ProTour event, the prologue time trial of the 2005 Paris–Nice, a race Julich won overall. Voigt nearly won the 2005 classic Liège–Bastogne–Liège when he was beaten on the line by Alexandre Vinokourov, Voigt having been on a breakaway almost the entire race.

After a strong placing in the stage 1 time trial of the 2005 Tour de France, Voigt was only trailing race leader Armstrong by 1 minute and he tried hard to take the overall lead. He took part in many attacks, and the 9th stage, before the first rest day, finally got in a break-away that lasted to the line. He finished third, 3 minutes ahead of Armstrong. Voigt's time in the maillot jaune would be short-lived however, as he fell to 168th at stage 10 after a fever, and he was eliminated for failing to finish stage 11 within the time limit. Voigt ended 2005 as 29th on the UCI ProTour individual rankings.

For 2006, Voigt started slower than in 2005 to save energy for helping Basso to win the 2006 Giro d'Italia and 2006 Tour de France races. His only result until the Giro in May was an attack on the fifth stage of the Vuelta al País Vasco, but he had to settle for second behind stage winner Thomas Voeckler.

For the Giro d'Italia, Voigt rode in support of Basso. Following Team CSC's team time trial win on stage 5, Voigt found himself second, trailing race leader Serhiy Honchar by six seconds. During the first mountains, Voigt helped Basso take the overall lead, while he slid down the board and finished 37th. On mountainous stage 19, Voigt and Julich were in a 20-man break, but as Team CSC was leading the peloton to defend Basso's first place, Voigt and Julich did not work. Up the last climb, Voigt was alone with Spanish rider Juan Manuel Gárate, but as Voigt did not think he had done enough to deserve the victory, he let Garate take the win. Voigt finally got his first win of the season in the Ster Elektrotoer race in June. Here he won stage 4 and helped teammate Kurt Asle Arvesen to the overall win, two weeks before the Tour de France.

In the days before the Tour, Basso was suspended by Team CSC after his name had been brought up in the Operación Puerto doping investigation. Carlos Sastre became team captain. Voigt took the role of early attacker, to lessen the load for the team, and he formed or joined unsuccessful breakaways on several stages. On stage 13 from Béziers to Montélimar, longest stage of the 2006 Tour at 231 km, Voigt got in a five-man breakaway which finished 29 minutes and 58 seconds ahead of the main bunch. At the line, Voigt outsprinted Óscar Pereiro to take his second Tour stage win. On stage 15, Voigt helped Fränk Schleck from Luxembourg, pulling hard in the break with teammate David Zabriskie of the USA, which eventually gave Schleck the win. Voigt finished the 2006 Tour 53rd, helping Sastre finish 4th.

He abandoned the 2009 Tour on 21-07-2009 when he fell hard while descending the Col du Petit-Saint-Bernard with the group of the yellow jersey during stage 16. He incurred a fracture of the right cheekbone and concussion.

Voigt and his wife Stephanie have six children, the youngest being born January 2011.

Palmarès

;1994 : 1st : 1st ;1996 : 1st ;1997 : 1st ::1st Stage 5B : 1st Prologue, Sachsen Tour : 2nd Overall Tour de Langkawi : 3rd Overall Peace Race ;1998 : 1st Stage 5A, Vuelta al País Vasco : 1st 20px Points Competition, Prudential Tour : Held ''King of the Mountains Jersey'' ;1999 : 1st : 1st Breitling Grand Prix : 1st Stage 3 Route du Sud : 1st Duo Normand (with Chris Boardman) ;2000 : 1st Grand Prix Cholet : 1st Bayern-Rundfahrt ;2001 : 1st Stage 4 TTT Tour de France : 1st Stage 16 Tour de France ::1 day in 20px ''maillot jaune'' Stage 7 : 1st Grand Prix des Nations : 1st Stage 7 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré : 1st Tour de Poitou : 1st 20px Overall Bayern-Rundfahrt ::1st Stage 2 : 1st Duo Normand (with Jonathan Vaughters) : 1st Stage 6 Tour of Poland ::1st 20px Points Competition : 1st Stage 1 Route du Sud ;2002 : 1st Stage 3 Critérium International ::1st 20px Points Competition, ;2003 : 1st Paris–Bourges : 1st Stage 3 Critérium International : 1st 20px Overall Tour de Poitou ::1st Stage 4 ;2004 : 1st ::1st Stage 2 ::1st Stage 3 : 1st Stage 5 Vuelta al País Vasco : 1st LuK Challenge : 1st Bayern-Rundfahrt : 1st Stage 4 Danmark Rundt : 2nd overall, Deutschland Tour ;2005 : 1 day in : 1st Stage 3 Étoile de Bessèges : 1st ::1st Stages 1 ::1st Stages 3 : 1st Prologue Paris–Nice : 1st Stage 5 Vuelta al País Vasco : 1st Stage 4 Bayern-Rundfahrt : 1st LuK Challenge Chrono Bühl ;2006 : 1st Stage 13 Tour de France : 1st Stage 4 Ster Elektrotoer : 1st ::1st Stage 2 ::1st Stage 6 ::1st Stage 7 (ITT) : 1st Rund um die Hainleite : 1st Giro Bochum ;2007 : 1st Stage 3 Tour of California : 1st ::1st Stage 2 : 1st Stage 4 Vuelta al País Vasco : 1st ::1st Stage 8 ;2008 : 1st : 1st Stage 18 Giro d'Italia : 1st ::1st Stage 6 ::1st 20px Mountains Competition ;2009 : 1st ::1st Stage 2 : 4th Overall Tour of California : 6th Overall Paris - Nice ;2010 : 6th Overall Paris–Nice : 6th Overall Tour of California : 1st Stage 4 Volta a Catalunya

Teams

1997 - ZVVZ-Giant-AIS

1998 - Gan

1999 - 2003 Crédit Agricole

2004 - 2008 2009 - 2010 2011 -

References

External links

Profile at Saxo Bank

JensVoigtFacts.com - humorous "facts" about Jens Voigt

Category:1971 births Category:Living people Category:People from Grevesmühlen Category:German cyclists Category:German Tour de France stage winners Category:Giro d'Italia stage winners Category:Olympic cyclists of Germany Category:Cyclists at the 2000 Summer Olympics Category:Cyclists at the 2004 Summer Olympics Category:Cyclists at the 2008 Summer Olympics

ca:Jens Voigt da:Jens Voigt de:Jens Voigt es:Jens Voigt eu:Jens Voigt fr:Jens Voigt it:Jens Voigt nl:Jens Voigt ja:イェンス・フォイクト no:Jens Voigt nn:Jens Voigt pl:Jens Voigt pt:Jens Voigt fi:Jens Voigt sv:Jens Voigt

''The American Spectator'' is a conservative U.S. monthly magazine covering news and politics, edited by R. Emmett Tyrrell Jr. and published by the non-profit American Spectator Foundation. From its founding in 1967 until the late 1980s, the small-circulation magazine featured the writings of authors such as Thomas Sowell, Tom Wolfe, P.J. O'Rourke, George F. Will, Malcolm Gladwell, Patrick J. Buchanan, and Malcolm Muggeridge, although today the magazine is best known for its reports in the 1990s on Bill Clinton and its "Arkansas Project", funded by businessman Richard Mellon Scaife and the Bradley Foundation.

Founding and history

''The American Spectator'' was founded as ''The Alternative'' in 1967 by Tyrrell and other students at Indiana University, and was originally published in a tabloid format (it is now published in a traditional magazine format).

After operating under the name ''The Alternative: An American Spectator'' for several years, in 1977 the magazine changed its name to ''The American Spectator'' because, in editor Tyrrell's words, "the word 'alternative' had come to be associated almost exclusively with radicals and with their way of life." In fact, Tyrrell had started the magazine as a conservative alternative to the student radicalism at the nation's universities in the 1960s. The Spectator is also a British magazine of somewhat similar format.

During the Reagan Administration, the magazine moved from Bloomington, Indiana to suburban Washington, D.C.

The 1990s

The publication gained prominence in the 1990s by reporting on political scandals. The March 1992 issue contained David Brock's expose on Clarence Thomas accuser Anita Hill. Brock and his colleague Daniel Wattenberg soon moved on to a target of somewhat longer-lasting relevance: Hillary and Bill Clinton. A January 1994 article about then-President Bill Clinton's sex life contained the first reference in print to Clinton accuser Paula Jones, although the article focused on allegations that Clinton used Arkansas state troopers to facilitate his extramarital sexual activities (''see'' Troopergate). It only referred to Jones by her first name and corroborated few if any elements of her story. This article was the basis for the claim of damages a sexual harassment lawsuit which started the chain of events resulting in President Clinton's impeachment.

David Brock recanted his accusations upon his departure from the conservative movement. He also denounced his Anita Hill article in his 2003 book Blinded by the Right: the Conscience of an Ex-Conservative. He implies that Rush Limbaugh's coverage of his Anita Hill article instigated advertising on Limbaugh's network, which resulted in a large increase in the magazine's circulation. He also implies that this caused the magazine's content to '[move] away from thoughtful essays and scholarly reviews and humor pieces' to 'hit jobs'.

For his part, Wattenberg eventually incurred the displeasure of many fellow conservatives when he belatedly admitted that he had killed a story about rumors of President Clinton fathering a child out of wedlock (with a young African American woman). Wattenberg actually tracked down a videotape of the woman being interviewed (by an unnamed third party who asked her what Wattenberg described as "softball" questions), but he never was able to interview her himself. Wattenberg's rationales for killing the story were that he had no proof that the story was true and that the woman's testimony was unconvincing. He said that she "seemed like a junkie." (The story was revived in 1999 by Matt Drudge.)

Internal strife eventually led to the departure of long-time publisher Ronald Burr after a disagreement with Tyrrell led Burr to call for an independent audit of the magazine's finances. The departure of Burr and several prominent conservative figures from the magazine's board of directors resulted in conservative foundations pulling much of the funding the nonprofit had relied on to pay high salaries to Brock and Tyrrell, as well as to fund direct-mail campaigns needed to keep up the monthly's circulation. Faced with a budget crisis, the magazine, then led by publisher Terry Eastland, a former spokesman in the Reagan Justice Department, laid off staffers and cut spending significantly. The magazine also struggled to pay legal bills incurred from an investigation launched against it by President Clinton's Justice Department for alleged witness tampering in the Whitewater investigation. The Justice Department investigation led to revelations about the "Arkansas Project," a campaign by businessman Richard Mellon Scaife to discredit the Clintons by funding investigative reporting at several conservative media outlets. The Justice Department investigation led nowhere and the ''Spectator'' was exonerated.

As shortfalls continued, George Gilder, a long time supporter of the magazine who was newly wealthy from an Internet business, purchased the magazine with the goal of turning it into a profit-making glossy with significant media buzz. Numerous staff members, demoralized by the ever-looming budget crises, were laid off or departed after Joshua Gilder and Richard Vigilante, took the reins and vowed to reach a new technology- and business-savvy audience. Circulation and budget losses continued and even increased in the Gilder era, and at one point the entire Washington-based staff other than Tyrrell and executive editor and web site editor Wladyslaw Pleszczynski were laid off as operations were moved to Massachusetts, where the rest of George Gilder's businesses were based. In 2003, George Gilder, who had lost most of his fortune with the bursting of the Internet stock bubble, sold the magazine for $1 back to Tyrrell and the American Alternative Foundation, the magazine's original owner (the name was later changed to the American Spectator Foundation). The magazine then moved operations back to the Washington, D.C. area. Later that year, former book publisher Alfred S. Regnery became the magazine's publisher. By 2004, circulation hovered at around 50,000.

Core editorial staff

Publisher: Alfred S. Regnery

Editor in Chief: R. Emmett Tyrrell

Editorial Director: Wladyslaw Pleszczynski

Managing Editor: Joseph Lawler

Associate Editor: W. James Antle III

Reporter: Philip Klein

References

External links

''The American Spectator'' official site

Byron York, "The Life and Death of ''The American Spectator''," ''The Atlantic Monthly'', November 2001

"Olson by a whisker", ''Salon.com'', May 2001 (article containing background information on the "Arkansas Project")

David Brock, "The Real Anita Hill", ''The American Spectator'', March 1992 (unofficial site)

David Brock, "His Cheatin’ Heart" ,''The American Spectator'', January 1994 (the "Troopergate" story)

David Brock, ''Blinded by the Right: The Conscience of an Ex-Conservative'', Crown, 2002. ISBN 0-8129-3099-1

R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr. (ed.), ''Orthodoxy: The American Spectator's 20th Anniversary Anthology'', Harper & Row, 1987. ISBN 0-06-015818-2

Category:Publications established in 1967

Category:New Right (United States) Category:American news magazines Category:Conservative American magazines *

ro:The American Spectator

{| style="float:right; background:transparent;" |

Coordinates	40°42′15.0″N73°55′4.0″N
name	Sébastien Buemi
nationality	Swiss
birth date	October 31, 1988
2011 car number	18
2011 team	Toro Rosso-Ferrari
races	48
championships	0
wins	0
podiums	0
points	26
poles	0
fastest laps	0
first race	2009 Australian Grand Prix
last race
last season	2010
last position	16th (8 points) }}

|} Sébastien Olivier Buemi (born October 31, 1988 in Aigle, Vaud) is a Swiss racing driver, who competes for Scuderia Toro Rosso in Formula One.

Career

Formula BMW

After graduating from karting, Buemi spent 2004 and 2005 in German Formula BMW, finishing third and second in the championship respectively. He was also runner up in the 2005 FBMW World Final.

Formula Three

Following a single race in Spanish Formula Three in 2005, Buemi moved up to the Formula Three Euroseries for 2006, finishing 12th in the championship, ceding 11th place to Charlie Kimball on countback. He remained in the series for 2007, and finished second in the championship, behind Romain Grosjean. He has also competed in the special Masters of Formula 3 and Macau Grand Prix races.

A1 Grand Prix

For the 2006–07 A1 Grand Prix season, Buemi shared driving duties for A1 Team Switzerland with Neel Jani and Marcel Fässler. The team finished eighth in the championship.

GP2 Series

Buemi was drafted in at short notice to replace the injured Michael Ammermüller at ART Grand Prix for the Monaco round of the 2007 GP2 Series season. He performed creditably on his GP2 début, qualifying fourth and finishing seventh. He joined the Arden International team for the 2008 GP2 Asia Series, and finished as runner-up with a win and four second places. He continued with the team for the main 2008 season. He scored his first win in the French sprint race, starting 21st on the grid (after a technical problem in the feature race) on slick tyres on a drying track and benefitting as most rivals had to pit for slicks. He won one more race and ended the season sixth in the championship.

Formula One

On September 18, 2007 he drove the Red Bull RB3 at the F1 test session in Jerez. He was third quickest on the day, behind Timo Glock (BMW) and Vitantonio Liuzzi (Scuderia Toro Rosso) but ahead of names such as Rubens Barrichello (Honda) and Nelson Piquet Jr. (Renault). On January 16, 2008 Red Bull Racing confirmed Buemi as their test and reserve driver for the 2008 season. At the 2008 Japanese Grand Prix, Buemi drove the medical car as usual driver Dr Jacques Tropenat had been suffering from an ear problem.

Scuderia Toro Rosso (2009–Present)

Scuderia Toro Rosso confirmed its signing of Buemi as one of its race drivers on January 9, 2009. He was the first Swiss driver to take part in an F1 race since Jean-Denis Délétraz drove for Pacific at the 1995 European Grand Prix.

In his first race, the 2009 Australian Grand Prix, Buemi outqualified his team-mate Sébastien Bourdais and then scored a point in the race by finishing in eighth position. He was later promoted to seventh place as a result of Lewis Hamilton being disqualified. At the Chinese Grand Prix, he scored another point, finishing eighth after starting tenth. After a mid season dip in the Toro Rosso's form, Buemi rounded off a good weekend to finish 7th in the 2009 Brazilian Grand Prix. He followed this with a third top ten qualification in a row and another points finish at the season finale in Abu Dhabi. On 9 November 2009, it was confirmed that Buemi would race for a second season with Toro Rosso.

Buemi has said in an interview with F1 Racing magazine that he had his eyes on a Red Bull drive for , but Red Bull will be staying with their current driver line up.

During the first free practice session of the 2010 Chinese Grand Prix, a front suspension wishbone broke under braking on Buemi's Toro Rosso as he braked for Turn 14. The two front wheels flew off while Buemi was travelling at over . One wheel went over the safety fence and landed in a spectator area, missing a camera man on its way. Buemi's car continued to travel forward, veering to the left and sliding along an armco barrier, knocking off the front wing. Neither Buemi nor any spectators were injured as a result of the incident. Toro Rosso blamed a failure of a new front right upright for the incident.

Scuderia Toro Rosso principal Franz Tost announced near the end of 2010 that Buemi, along with his team mate from 2010 and 2009 – Jaime Alguersuari, would be remaining with the team for the season.

Personal life

Buemi lives with his family and his girlfriend Jennifer in Bahrain. His cousin, Natacha Gachnang, is also a racing driver, currently competing in the FIA GT1 World Championship.

Racing record

Career summary

! Season	! Series	! Team	! Races	! Wins	! Poles	! F/Laps	! Podiums	! Points	! Position
! 2004	align=left		20	0	2	2	10	188
2005	align=left	align=left rowspan=2	20	7	7	12	16	282
align=left	1	0	0	0	1	N/A
align=left		1	0	0	0	0	0	NC
2006	align=left	align=left rowspan=2	20	1	0	6	3	31	12th
align=left	1	0	0	0	1	N/A
align=left		8	2	1	1	6	172	7th
align=left	6	1	0	0	1	33	11th
		1	0	0	0	0	N/A	4th
! 2006–07	align=left		12	0	0	1	0	50	8th
2007	align=left	align=left	20	3	2	4	13	95
align=left		11	0	0	3	0	6	21st
	align=left	1	0	0	0	0	N/A	11th
2008	align=left	align=left rowspan=2| Trust Team Arden	10	1	0	1	5	37
align=left	19	2	0	0	5	50	6th
align=left	align=left
! 2009	align=left		17	0	0	0	0	6	16th
! 2010	align=left		19	0	0	0	0	8	16th
! 2011			12	0	0	0	0	12*	13th*

Season in progress.

Complete A1 Grand Prix results

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! 8th

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Complete GP2 Series results

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! 21st

! 6

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Complete Formula One results

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List of Formula One World Championship points scoring systems>Points

! Scuderia Toro Rosso

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! [[Scuderia Ferrari

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! 16th

! 8

! [[Scuderia Toro Rosso">Scuderia Toro Rosso

! [[Scuderia Ferrari

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! 16th

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! 13th*

! 12*

Season in progress.

References

External links

Official website

[[Category:1988 births">Scuderia Toro Rosso ! [[Scuderia Ferrari bgcolor="#DFFFDF" bgcolor="#CFCFFF" bgcolor="#CFCFFF" bgcolor="#DFFFDF" bgcolor="#CFCFFF" bgcolor="#DFFFDF" bgcolor="#DFFFDF" bgcolor="#CFCFFF" bgcolor="#EFCFFF" bgcolor="#CFCFFF" bgcolor="#DFFFDF" bgcolor="#EFCFFF" ! 13th* ! 12* Season in progress.

References

External links

Official website

[[Category:1988 births Category:Living people Category:People from Aigle Category:GP2 Series drivers Category:Swiss racecar drivers Category:Formula One drivers from Switzerland Category:A1 Team Switzerland drivers Category:Formula Renault 2.0 NEC drivers Category:Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 drivers Category:Formula BMW ADAC drivers Category:GP2 Asia Series drivers Category:Swiss expatriates in Bahrain

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Coordinates	40°42′15.0″N73°55′4.0″N
name	Maria Sharapova
nickname	Masha(diminutive)
country
residence	Bradenton, Florida, USA
birth date	April 19, 1987
birth place	Nyagan, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
height
weight
turnedpro	April 19, 2001
plays	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
careerprizemoney	$16,643,327
singlesrecord	412–102
singlestitles	24 WTA, 4 ITF
highestsinglesranking	No. 1 (August 22, 2005)
currentsinglesranking	No. 3 (January 30, 2012)
australianopenresult	W (2008)
frenchopenresult	SF (2007, 2011)
wimbledonresult	W (2004)
usopenresult	W (2006)
othertournaments	Yes
wtachampionshipsresult	W (2004)
doublesrecord	23–17
doublestitles	3 WTA
highestdoublesranking	41 (January 30, 2012)
australianopendoublesresult	2R (2003, 2004)
usopendoublesresult	2R (2003)
updated	August 29, 2011 }}

Maria Yuryevna Sharapova ( , , ; born April 19, 1987) is a Russian professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. A US resident since 1994, Sharapova has won 24 WTA singles titles, including three Grand Slam singles titles at the 2004 Wimbledon, 2006 US Open and 2008 Australian Open. She has also won the year-end WTA Tour Championships in 2004. 

The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) has ranked Sharapova world no. 1 in singles on four separate occasions. She became the world no. 1 for the first time on August 22, 2005, and last regained this ranking for the fourth time on May 19, 2008. As of January 2012 Sharapova is ranked world no. 4. She has been in six Grand Slam finals with the final record 3–3.

Sharapova made her professional breakthrough in 2004 when, at age 17, she defeated two-time defending champion and top seed Serena Williams in the 2004 Wimbledon final for her first Grand Slam singles title. She entered the top 10 of the WTA Rankings with this win. Despite not winning a major in 2005, Sharapova briefly held the no. 1 ranking, and reached three Grand Slam semifinals, losing to the eventual champion each time. She won her second major at the 2006 US Open defeating then-world no. 1 Amélie Mauresmo in the semifinals and world no. 2 Justine Henin in the final. Sharapova's 2007 season was plagued with a chronic shoulder injury and saw her ranking fall out of the top 5 for the first time in two years. She ultimately won her third Grand Slam at the 2008 Australian Open, defeating Henin in the quarterfinals and Ana Ivanović in the final. After reclaiming the no. 1 ranking in May 2008, Sharapova's shoulder problems re-surfaced, ultimately requiring surgery in October and forcing her out of the game for nearly 10 months. Sharapova returned in May 2009 and was ranked no. 126 in the world due to her extensive lay-off. Since her comeback, Sharapova has won five singles titles (bringing her career total to 24) and improved her ranking to #2 in the world.

Sharapova's public profile extends beyond tennis, as she has been featured in a number of modeling assignments, including a feature in ''''Sports Illustrated'' Swimsuit Issue''. She has been featured in many advertisements, including those for Nike, Prince and Canon, and is the face of several fashion houses, most notably Cole Haan. Sharapova was the most searched-for athlete on Yahoo! in both 2005 and 2008. Since February 2007, she has been a United Nations Development Programme Goodwill Ambassador, concerned specifically with the Chernobyl Recovery and Development Programme.

In June 2011, she was named one of the "30 Legends of Women's Tennis: Past, Present and Future" by ''Time''.

Early life

Maria Sharapova's parents, Yuri and Yelena, are from Gomel, Belarus. Concerned about the regional effects of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident, they left their homeland shortly before Sharapova was born. When Sharapova was two, the family moved to Sochi. There her father befriended Aleksandr Kafelnikov, whose son Yevgeny would go on to win two Grand Slam singles titles and became Russia's first no. 1 world-ranked tennis player. Aleksandr gave Sharapova her first tennis racket at the age of four, whereupon she began practicing regularly with her father at a local park. She took her first tennis lessons with veteran Russian coach Yuri Yutkin, who was instantly impressed when he saw her play, noting her "exceptional hand-eye co-ordination."

At the age of seven, Sharapova attended a tennis clinic in Moscow run by Martina Navrátilová, who recommended professional training at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida, which had previously trained players such as Andre Agassi, Monica Seles, and Anna Kournikova. With money tight, Yuri was forced to borrow the sum that would allow him and his daughter, neither of whom could speak English, to travel to United States, which they finally did in 1994. Visa restrictions prevented Sharapova's mother from joining them for two years. Arriving in Florida with savings of US$700, Sharapova's father took various low-paying jobs, including dish-washing, to fund her lessons until she was old enough to be admitted to the academy. In 1995, she was signed by IMG, who agreed to pay the annual tuition fee of $35,000 for Sharapova to stay at the academy, allowing her to finally enroll at the age of 9.

Tennis career

2001–03

Sharapova first gained attention on the tennis scene in November 2000, when she won the Eddie Herr International Junior Tennis Championships in the girls' 16 division at the age of just 13. She was then given a special award, the Rising Star Award, which is awarded only to players of exceptional promise. She made her professional debut in 2001, and played her first WTA tournament at the Pacific Life Open in 2002, winning a match before losing to Monica Seles. Due to restrictions on how many professional events she could play, Sharapova went to hone her game in junior tournaments, where she reached the finals of the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2002. She was the youngest girl ever to reach the final of the Australian Open junior championship at 14 years and 9 months.

From 2003, Sharapova played a full season, and made a rapid climb into the top 50 by the end of the year. She made her debuts at both the Australian Open and the French Open, but failed to win a match in either. It was not until the grass season that she began to fulfill her promise, beating a top-20 player for the first time and reaching her first semifinal at the WTA level. Then, as a wildcard at Wimbledon, she defeated 11th seed Jelena Dokić to reach the fourth round, where she lost in three sets to Svetlana Kuznetsova.

By the end of September, Sharapova had already captured her first WTA title at a smaller event, the Japan Open Tennis Championships, before winning her second in her final tournament of the season, the Bell Challenge. To cap off her first full season as a professional, she was awarded the WTA Newcomer of the Year honor.

2004

Sharapova was defeated in the third round of the Australian Open by seventh seed Anastasia Myskina. The highlight of the remainder of her spring hard-court season was a run to the semifinals at the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships and the Cellular South Cup, where she ultimately lost to Vera Zvonareva.

During the spring clay-court season, Sharapova entered the top 20 on the WTA world rankings as a result of reaching the third round of the Qatar Telecom German Open and the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, both of which were Tier I events. At the latter event, she defeated a player ranked in the top 10 for the first time with a straight-sets win over world no. 10 Elena Dementieva. Later that clay-court season, she went on to make the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam for the first time at the French Open, losing there to Paola Suárez.

Sharapova won the third title of her career at the Wimbledon warm-up DFS Classic, defeating Tatiana Golovin in the final. Seeded 13th and aged 17 at Wimbledon, she reached her first Grand Slam semifinal by defeating Ai Sugiyama. There, she came back from a 6–2, 3–1 deficit to defeat fifth seed and former champion Lindsay Davenport. In the final, Sharapova upset top seed and defending champion Serena Williams to win her first Grand Slam singles title, and become the third youngest woman to win the Wimbledon title, behind only Lottie Dod and Martina Hingis. Sharapova also became the second Russian woman (after Anastasia Myskina had won the year's previous major at Roland Garros) to win a Grand Slam singles title. The victory was hailed by the media as "the most stunning upset in memory", with other writers commenting on her arrival as a serious challenger to the Williams' dominance at Wimbledon. She entered the top 10 in the rankings for the first time as a result of the win.

Following her Wimbledon win, attention and interest in Sharapova in the media greatly increased, a rise in popularity dubbed as "Maria Mania." However, on court, she was struggling to achieve results, winning just three of six matches in her preparations for the US Open. At the US Open itself, she reached the third round, before being eliminated by Mary Pierce. In order to regain confidence, Sharapova played and won consecutive titles in Asia in the fall, the Hansol Korea Open Tennis Championships and the Japan Open Tennis Championships.

In October, Sharapova defeated Venus Williams en route to making the final of a Tier I event for the first time at the Zurich Open, losing in the final to Alicia Molik. She then made her debut at the year-ending WTA Tour Championships. There, she won two of her three round-robin matches (including a win over US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova) in order to advance to the semifinals, where she defeated Myskina. In the final, she defeated Serena Williams, 4–6, 6–2, 6–4, after trailing 4–0 in the final set.

2005

Sharapova started the year at the Australian Open, where she defeated fifth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova to reach the second Grand Slam semifinal of her career. Sharapova held match points in the third set of her semifinal match, before losing to eventual champion Serena Williams. In February, Sharapova won back-to-back tournaments, the Toray Pan Pacific Open and the Qatar Total Open, allowing her to reach the top 3 in the world rankings for the first time.

In the semifinals of the Tier I Pacific Life Open, Sharapova was defeated by Lindsay Davenport, 0–6, 0–6, the first time she had failed to win a game in a match. The following fortnight, she defeated former world no. 1 players Justine Henin and Venus Williams to reach the final at the Tier I NASDAQ-100 Open, where she lost to Kim Clijsters.

Sharapova made the semifinals of a clay-court tournament for the first time at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, where she lost to Patty Schnyder. Sharapova would have become world no. 1 for the first time had she won the tournament. Sharapova then reached the quarterfinals of the French Open for the second consecutive year, before losing to eventual champion Henin. On grass, Sharapova won her third title of the year when she successfully defended her title at the DFS Classic, defeating Jelena Janković in the final. As the defending champion at Wimbledon, Sharapova reached the semifinals without dropping a set and losing a service game just once, extending her winning streak on grass to 24 matches. However, she was then beaten by eventual champion Venus Williams.

A back injury sustained by world no. 1 Davenport at Wimbledon prevented her from playing tournaments during the summer hard-court season, which meant she could not earn new ranking points to replace those that were expiring from the previous year. Sharapova, although also injured for much of this time, had far fewer points to defend, and so she became the first Russian woman to hold the world no. 1 ranking on August 22, 2005. Her reign lasted only one week, however, as Davenport reclaimed the top ranking after winning the Pilot Pen Tennis tournament.

As the top seed at the US Open, Sharapova lost in the semifinals to Kim Clijsters, meaning she had lost to the eventual champion in every Grand Slam of the season. However, she once again leapfrogged Davenport to take the world no. 1 ranking on September 12, 2005. She retained it for six weeks, but after playing few tournaments while injured, she again relinquished the ranking to Davenport. To conclude the year, Sharapova failed to defend her title at the year-end Sony Ericsson Championships, defeating Davenport in one of her round-robin matches, but ultimately losing in the semifinals to eventual champion Amélie Mauresmo.

2006

Sharapova started 2006 by losing in the semifinals of the Australian Open in three sets to Henin, also losing a rematch several weeks later at the Dubai Tennis Championships, having defeated former world no. 1 Martina Hingis and world no. 3 Lindsay Davenport in earlier rounds of the tournament. Sharapova claimed her first title in nine months at the Tier I tournament in Indian Wells, defeating Hingis in the semifinals and Elena Dementieva in the final. The following fortnight, she reached the final in Miami before losing to Kuznetsova.

Missing the entire clay-court season with injury, Sharapova returned for the French Open. There, after saving match points in defeating Mashona Washington in the first round, she was eliminated by Dinara Safina in the fourth round.

On grass, Sharapova was unsuccessful in her attempt to win in Birmingham for the third consecutive year, losing in the semifinals to Jamea Jackson. Despite that, she was among the title favorites at Wimbledon, where the eventual champion Mauresmo ended up beating her in the semifinals.

Sharapova claimed her second title of the year at the Tier I Acura Classic, defeating Clijsters for the first time in the final. As the third seed at the US Open, Sharapova defeated top seed Mauresmo for the first time in the semifinals, and then followed up by beating second seed Justine Henin in order to win her second Grand Slam singles title.

That autumn, Sharapova won titles in back-to-back weeks at the Zurich Open and the Generali Ladies Linz. By winning all three of her round-robin matches at the WTA Tour Championships, she extended her win streak to 19 matches, before it was snapped in the semifinals by eventual champion Henin. Sharapova would have finished the season as world no. 1 had she won the event. As it was, she finished ranked world no. 2, her best finish at the end of a year yet.

2007

Sharapova was the top seed at the Australian Open due to top-ranked Justine Henin's withdrawal. After being two points away from defeat in the first round against Camille Pin, rallying for a 6–3, 4–6, 9–7 victory, she went on to reach the final of the tournament for the first time, but was routed there by Serena Williams, 1–6, 2–6, ranked world no. 81 at the time. By reaching the final, Sharapova recaptured the world no. 1 ranking. She held it for seven weeks, surrendering it back to Henin after failing to defend her title at the Pacific Life Open, instead losing in the fourth round to Vera Zvonareva after struggling with a hamstring injury. The following fortnight, she defeated Venus Williams in the third round of the Sony Ericsson Open, before suffering another defeat, 1–6, 1–6, to Serena Williams.

A shoulder injury forced Sharapova to miss most of the clay-court season for the second consecutive year, resulting in her only tune-up for the French Open being the Istanbul Cup, where she lost in the semifinals to Aravane Rezaï. Despite her lack of preparation, she reached the semifinals of the French Open for the first time in her career (having saved match points against Patty Schnyder in the fourth round), before losing to Ana Ivanović.

On grass, Sharapova was runner-up to Jelena Janković at the DFS Classic. Following that, she experienced her earliest Wimbledon loss since 2003 by losing in the fourth round to eventual champion Venus Williams.

Sharapova clinched the US Open Series by defending her title at the Acura Classic, her only championship of the year, and reaching the semifinals in Los Angeles. In her US Open title defense, Sharapova lost her third round match to 30th seed Agnieszka Radwańska, her earliest exit at a Grand Slam singles tournament since the 2004 US Open, where she lost in the same round.

Following the US Open loss, Sharapova did not play again until the Kremlin Cup in October, where she lost her opening match to Victoria Azarenka. Shortly after this, she fell out of the top 5 in the world rankings for the first time since 2004. She qualified for the eight-woman year-end Sony Ericsson Championships only because Venus Williams withdrew from the tournament. Despite having not previously won a match in two months, Sharapova topped her round-robin group at the tournament, after winning all three of her matches, defeating Svetlana Kuznetsova and Ana Ivanović. She then defeated Anna Chakvetadze in the semifinals. In the final, she lost to world no. 1 Henin in a match that lasted 3 hours and 24 minutes.

2008

Sharapova was seeded fifth at the Australian Open, but was not considered a favorite. Nevertheless, she defeated former world no. 1 Lindsay Davenport in the second round, and then world no. 1 Henin in the quarterfinals, ending the latter's 32-match winning streak. She proceeded to the finals by defeating Jelena Janković in the semifinals, where she defeated Ana Ivanović to win her third Grand Slam title, having not dropped a set all tournament.

After the Australian Open, Sharapova extended her winning streak to 18 matches. This run encompassed two wins in singles rubbers when making her debut for Russia in the Fed Cup against Israel and victory at the Tier I Qatar Total Open. Her winning streak was ended in the semifinals of the Pacific Life Open by Kuznetsova. In April, Sharapova won the Bausch & Lomb Championships, having survived her longest-ever match, at 3 hours and 26 minutes long, in the third round against Anabel Medina Garrigues. The following week, at the Family Circle Cup, she lost in the quarterfinals to Serena Williams, her fourth consecutive loss to the American.

In May, Sharapova regained the world no. 1 ranking because of Henin's sudden retirement from professional tennis and request to the WTA that her own ranking be removed immediately. As the top-seeded player at the French Open Sharapova was within two points of being knocked out by Evgeniya Rodina in the first round, before eventually winning. As a result of losing to Dinara Safina in the fourth round, she relinquished her no. 1 ranking. Her dip in form continued at Wimbledon, where she lost in the second round to world no. 154 Alla Kudryavtseva. This was her earliest loss ever at Wimbledon, and at any Grand Slam in almost five years.

Sharapova withdrew from the Rogers Cup tournament in August due to a shoulder injury. An MRI scan revealed that she had been suffering from a rotator cuff tear since April, forcing her out of all tournaments for the rest of the season, including the Beijing Olympics, the US Open, and the WTA Tour Championships. In spite of that, she still finished the year ranked world no. 9. In October, after a failed attempt to rehabilitate the shoulder, Sharapova had surgery to repair the tear.

2009

Sharapova did not attempt to defend her Australian Open title, as she continued to recover from surgery. She returned to the sport in March, in the doubles tournament at the BNP Paribas Open, but she and partner Elena Vesnina lost in the first round. After this, Sharapova withdrew from further singles tournaments, resulting in her standing in the world rankings being severely affected. She dropped out of the top 100 for the first time in six years in May, the nadir being world no. 126.

Playing her first singles tournament in nearly ten months, Sharapova made the quarterfinals of the clay-court Warsaw Open in May, being beaten by Alona Bondarenko. The following week, in the first Grand Slam appearance since her surgery, she reached the quarterfinals of the French Open, before her run was ended by Dominika Cibulková.

During the summer grass-court season playing in Birmingham, losing in the semifinals. Sharapova then played at the 2009 Wimbledon Championships as the 24th seed. She was upset in the second round by Gisela Dulko in three sets.

Sharapova enjoyed considerable success in the summer months, reaching the quarterfinals at the Bank of the West Classic, the semifinals at the LA Women's Tennis Championships, and finishing runner-up at the Rogers Cup to Elena Dementieva. Nevertheless, she was dealt her second straight early exit at the final Grand Slam of the year, losing to Melanie Oudin at the US Open, while committing 60 unforced errors and a personal-record 21 double faults.

The final stretch of the season brought Sharapova her first title of the year in Tokyo, after opponent Jelena Janković retired after being down 2–5 to Sharapova in the final. By virtue of that result, she was the recipient of a bye at the China Open, but failed to use it to her advantage, losing to Peng Shuai in the third round. She ultimately finished the season at no. 14, having improved from no. 126 when she started her return.

2010

After playing two exhibition tournaments in Asia, Sharapova officially began her season at the Australian Open, where she was upset in her first-round match against Maria Kirilenko. The loss meant that for the first time since 2003, Sharapova had lost her opening match at a Grand Slam event. She then rebounded by winning a smaller American event, the Cellular South Cup, her 21st career WTA title and first of the year.

At the BNP Paribas Open, Sharapova lost in the third round to Zheng Jie, aggravating a bruised bone on her right elbow in the process, which resulted in her eventual withdrawal from the Sony Ericsson Open and the Family Circle Cup.

Returning at the 2010 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open, Sharapova lost in the first round to Lucie Šafářová. She continued her French Open preparation at the Internationaux de Strasbourg as a wildcard, advancing to the final, where she beat Kristina Barrois. This was her first title on red clay and 22nd overall title. At the French Open, Sharapova's brief clay season culminated with a third-round loss to four-time champion Justine Henin.

Sharapova began her preparations for Wimbledon at the AEGON Classic. She advanced to the final for the fourth time, where she lost to Li Na. As the 16th seed at Wimbledon, Sharapova lost in the fourth round to world no. 1 and eventual champion Serena Williams, 6–7(9), 4–6, despite having three set points in the opening set. The match was seen as another encouraging performance for Sharapova, with some stating their belief that she was approaching the form that would see her contending for Grand Slams once more, and Sharapova herself that stating she felt that she was "in a much better spot than I was last year."

During the US Open Series, Sharapova made two straight finals, losing to Victoria Azarenka at the Bank of the West Classic, and to Kim Clijsters at the Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open. In the latter match, Sharapova held three match points while leading 5–3 on Clijsters's serve late in the second set, but could not convert them.

At the U.S. Open, Sharapova was the 14th seed. She made it to the fourth round, where she played top seed Caroline Wozniacki and lost, 3–6, 4–6.

Sharapova's last two tournaments of the season ended in disappointment. She played in the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, where she was upset in the first round by 39-year-old Kimiko Date Krumm.  Her last tournament of the year was the China Open, where she lost in the second round to fellow Russian Elena Vesnina.  Days later, she announced the end of her 2010 season.  She ended the year at number 18 in the world.

2011

It was announced that Sharapova would bring in Thomas Hogstedt as a coach for the 2011 season, joining Michael Joyce. On December 5, Sharapova played an exhibition match against World No. 2 Vera Zvonareva in Monterrey, Mexico. She won the match 6–1, 7–5.

Sharapova confirmed that her first tournament of the year would be at the 2011 ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand. She also announced that she would be leading the Russia Fed Cup team against France in February in their first-round tie.

In Sharapova's first ever official Australian Open warm-up tournament at the 2011 ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand, she was seeded 1st. She beat Alberta Brianti 6–2, 6–3 and Renata Voracova 6–3, 7–5 in the first two rounds before losing to the Hungarian veteran and eventual champion Gréta Arn 2–6, 5–7 in the quarterfinals. After the ASB Classic, Sharapova decided to take a hiatus from Joyce's coaching, despite having worked together for a number of years, including during her successful years where she became a multiple Grand Slam champion.

Sharapova participated in the first Grand Slam of the season at the Australian Open, where she was the 14th seeded player. She defeated veteran Tamarine Tanasugarn 6–1, 6–3 in the first round, Virginie Razzano 7–6(3), 6–3 in the second round and Julia Goerges 4–6, 6–4, 6–4 in the third round. She then lost to Andrea Petkovic 2–6, 3–6.

Sharapova's next appearance was at the 2011 Fed Cup tie against France, which she lost to Virginie Razzano 3–6, 4–6. She then withdrew from the 2011 Open GDF Suez in Paris because of viral illness. She also had to pull out of the 2011 Dubai Tennis Championships and 2011 Qatar Ladies Open due to an ear infection.

Sharapova returned to the tour in March by taking part in the first premier mandatory tournament of the year, the 2011 BNP Paribas Open, where she was seeded 16th. She defeated Anabel Medina Garrigues 7–5, 6(3)–7, 6–1 in the second round, Aravane Rezai 6–2, 6–2 in the third round and Dinara Safina 6–2, 6–0 in the fourth round. She then won against Shuai Peng 6–2, 5–7, 6–3 in the quarterfinals before losing in the semifinals to World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki 1–6, 2–6. With this result, Sharapova returned to the top 10 for the first time since February, 2009.

Sharapova's next tournament was the second premier mandatory tournament, the 2011 Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Miami. Seeded 16th, she defeated Petra Martic 6–3, 6–2 in the second round and, wildcard Sabine Lisicki 6–2, 6–0 in the third round and upset 4th seed Samantha Stosur 6–4, 6–1 in the fourth round. She then defeated 26th seed Alexandra Dulgheru in the quarterfinals in a match that lasted 3 hours and 28 minutes, the longest match of her career, and though twisting her left ankle while serving at 5–5 in the third set, she survived and won 3–6, 7–6(6), 7–6(5). In the semifinals, she defeated 21st seed Andrea Petkovic 3–6, 6–0, 6–2. In the final, her shaky and error-prone form resulted in a loss to Victoria Azarenka, 1–6, 4–6, despite a late comeback in the second set.

Because of Sharapova's refusal of her wildcard offer to the 2011 Family Circle Cup, her clay season was scheduled to begin at the third premier mandatory tournament at the 2011 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open, where she was seeded 8th. She defeated wildcard Arantxa Rus 2–6, 6–3, 6–2 and compatriot Ekaterina Makarova 6–3, 3–6, 6–1 before losing to Dominika Cibulková 5–7, 4–6 in the third round.

Sharapova's next tournament was the 2011 Internazionali BNL d'Italia, where she was seeded 7th. Receiving a bye in the first round, she again defeated Ekaterina Makarova 6–1, 6–1 in the second round and 10th seed Shahar Peer in the 6–2, 6–2 in the second round. In the quarterfinals, she met 3rd seed Victoria Azarenka in a match which Azarenka won the first set 6–4, but then retired in the second set when Sharapova was leading 3–0 because of an elbow injury. She then defeated 1st seed Caroline Wozniacki 7–5, 6–3 in the semifinals and 6th seed Samantha Stosur 6–2, 6–4 in the finals to take home the title, marking her biggest clay-court victory to date. With this, Sharapova overtakes Stosur as the World No. 7, her highest position since November, 2008.

Sharapova's next tournament was the 2011 French Open, where she was seeded 7th. She defeated Mirjana Lučić 6–3, 6–0 in the first round and then battled against French wildcard Caroline Garcia in the second round. She trailed 3–6, 1–4 before winning 11 consecutive games to win the match 3–6, 6–4, 6–0. She then beat qualifier Chan Yung-jan 6–2, 6–3 in the third round and 12th seed Agnieszka Radwanska 7–6(4), 7–5 though trailing 4–1 in the first set and had to save 5 set points in the second set. In the quarterfinals, she defeated 15th seed Andrea Petkovic 6–0, 6–3, marking her first grand slam semifinals since her comeback from the career-threatening shoulder injury. She then struggled to play in the strong winds, making a myriad of unforced errors and double faults on her way to a loss to 6th seed and eventual champion Li Na 4–6, 5–7 in the semifinals, subsequently ending her clay season with a win-loss of 12–2. This marks her most successful clay season to date. In addition, due to the semifinal appearance at Roland Garros, Sharapova moved up to World No. 6, for her highest position since November, 2008.

After her loss at Roland Garros, Sharapova withdrew from the AEGON Classic, citing illness. She then participated at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, where she was seeded 5th. She had not dropped a set in the tournament entering the final, beating compatriot Anna Chakvetadze 6–2, 6–1, Laura Robson 7–6(4), 6–3, Klara Zakopalova 6–2, 6–3, 20th seed Shuai Peng 6–4, 6–2, 24th seed Dominika Cibulková 6–1, 6–1, and resurgent Sabine Lisicki 6–4, 6–3 along the way. She then lost to 8th seed Petra Kvitová in straight sets, 3–6, 4–6. With this result, Sharapova moved up to World No. 5, which is the highest position she has reached since her comeback from her shoulder injury. It is also her highest position since the 2008 US Open.

Sharapova competed at the 2011 Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, USA to begin her 2011 US Open Series campaign. As she was seeded 2nd, she received a bye into the second round, where she defeated Daniela Hantuchová, 6–2, 2–6, 6–4, to advance to the quarterfinals. In a highly anticipated match, Sharapova lost to the eventual champion Serena Williams 1–6, 3–6, in the quarterfinals.

Sharapova then entered the 2011 Rogers Cup in Toronto, Canada. As the 5th seed, she received a bye into the second round, where she defeated Bojana Jovanovski 6–1, 7–5. In the third round, she lost to Galina Voskoboeva 3–6, 5–7, marking her 100th career loss.

Sharapova then contested at the 2011 Western & Southern Open held in Cincinnati, Ohio. As the 4th seed, she received a bye into the second round. On the way to her fourth final of the year, she beat Anastasia Rodionova 6–1, 6–3, 14th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova 6–2, 6–3, 10th seed Samantha Stosur 6–3, 6–2, and 2nd seed Vera Zvonareva 2–6, 6–3, 6–3. In the final, she defeated fellow former world no. 1 Jelena Jankovic 4–6, 7–6(3), 6–3, in 2 hours and 49 minutes, making it the longest WTA tour final of the year. She subsequently moved up to World No. 4, her highest ranking since August, 2008 and the highest since her comeback from her shoulder injury.

Sharapova then entered the final Grand Slam of the year, the US Open, where she was seeded 3rd. She beat British up-and-comer Heather Watson 3–6, 7–5, 6–3, and Anastasiya Yakimova 6–1, 6–1, to reach the third round. She was then upset by Flavia Pennetta 3–6, 6–3, 4–6. However, because of the fall of Kim Clijsters and Vera Zvonareva in the rankings, Sharapova climbed to World No. 2.

Sharapova next tournament was the 2011 Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, Japan. As the 2nd seed, she received a bye into the second round, where she beat Tamarine Tanasugarn, 6–2, 7–5. She then beat 13th seed Julia Goerges, 7–6(4), 7–6(4), before retiring against Petra Kvitova in the quarterfinal, 3–4, after slipping on the baseline. This also forced her to withdraw from the 2011 China Open the following week. Sharapova didn't enter any following tournaments. Instead, she flew to Istanbul, Turkey to prepare for the upcoming 2011 WTA Tour Championships. During the WTA Tour Championships, Sharapova withdrew during the Round Robin after her defeats against Samantha Stosur 1–6, 5–7 and Li Na 6–7(4), 4–6, due to the ankle injury she suffered in Tokyo earlier. Sharapova ended the year as number 4 in the world, her first top 10 finish since 2008 and first top 5 finish since 2007.

2012

Sharapova withdrew from the 2012 Brisbane International because of her ankle injury. Her first tournament of the year was the 2012 Australian Open where she was seeded fourth. Sharapova dropped just five games on her way to the fourth round, defeating Gisela Dulko 6–0, 6–1; Jamie Hampton 6–0, 6–1 and the 30th seed Angelique Kerber 6–1, 6–2 en route. In the fourth round, Sharapova rallied from a set down to defeat the fourteenth seed, Sabine Lisicki in three sets, 3–6, 6–2, 6–3 to reach her first hardcourt Grand Slam quarterfinal in 4 years. She then defeated her compatriot, Ekaterina Makarova in straight sets, 6–2, 6–3 to reach the semi-finals where she defeated the World No. 2 Petra Kvitová in a nail-biting three-set match, 6–2, 3–6, 6–4 to reach her third Australian Open final, and her sixth grand slam singles final overall. She lost to Victoria Azarenka in the final 3–6 0–6.

Fed Cup participation

Sharapova has lived in the United States since moving there at the age of seven, but retains her Russian citizenship, and is therefore eligible to play in the Fed Cup for Russia.  However, the behavior of Sharapova's father during her matches on the WTA Tour, combined with a perceived lack of commitment by her to the Fed Cup, has made her selection for the Russian Fed Cup team cause controversy in the past.

After Sharapova had beaten fellow Russian Anastasia Myskina at the 2004 WTA Tour Championships, Myskina criticized Sharapova's father, saying: "He was just yelling and screaming instructions to her and I thought he just might jump right on the court at one point in the match." At the Fed Cup semi-finals two weeks later, Myskina stated she would stop playing for Russia if Sharapova joined the Russian team the following season: "If she joins our team next season you won't see me there for sure. His behaviour is totally incorrect, simply rude. I don't want to be around people like him." Larisa Neiland, assistant to Russia Fed Cup captain Shamil Tarpishchev, added: "Her father's behaviour (at the WTA Tour Championships) was simply outrageous. I just don't see how he could work with the rest of us." However Tarpishchev himself played down the problem, insisting: "I feel that things will calm down soon and we'll have Myskina, Sharapova, Kuznetsova and everyone else playing for Russia."

At the end of 2005, Sharapova stated she was now keen to make her Fed Cup debut and was set to play against Belgium in April 2006, but withdrew. She later withdrew from ties against Spain in April 2007 and against the United States in July 2007 because of injuries. The latter withdrawal led to Russia's captain saying she would be "ineligible for selection" for the Fed Cup final in September. However, Sharapova attended the final, cheering from the sidelines and acting as a "hitting partner" in practices, resulting in some of her Russian teammates implying that she was attending only to enable her to play at the 2008 Beijing Olympics (rules state that players must have "shown commitment" to Fed Cup in order to play). Svetlana Kuznetsova said, "She said she wanted to be our practice partner but if you can't play how then can you practice?"

Sharapova finally made her Fed Cup debut in February 2008, in Russia's quarterfinal tie against Israel. She won both her singles rubbers, against Tzipora Obziler and Shahar Pe'er, helping Russia to a 4–1 victory. For the semifinals, she was given permission to skip the tie, with Tarpishchev announcing that she will be on the team for the final. However, the date of the final coincided with the lay-off from her shoulder injury, and thus she did not play.

In the 2011 first round tie, Maria played Virginie Razzano of France and lost. Maria was supposed to play Alize Cornet, but Sharapova was suffering from a viral illness. So teammate, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova played instead of Sharapova where she would go to help Russia come back from their 0–2 deficit by beating Alize Cornet 3–6 6–3 6–2 and secure the win for Russia against France 3–2.

Playing style

Sharapova is an aggressive baseliner, with power, depth, and angles on her forehand and backhand. Additionally, she is one of the few players on the WTA who uses the reverse forehand a lot. Instead of using a traditional volley or overhead smash, she often prefers to hit a powerful "swinging" volley when approaching the net or attacking lobs. Sharapova is thought to have good speed around the court, especially considering her height. At the beginning of 2008, some observers noted that Sharapova had developed her game, showing improved movement and footwork and the addition of a drop shot and sliced backhand to her repertoire of shots. Despite her powerful game, Sharapova's greatest asset is considered to be her mental toughness and competitive spirit, with Nick Bollettieri stating that she is "tough as nails". Hall-of-famer John McEnroe said of Sharapova, "she's one of the best competitors in the history of the sport." Sharapova is known for on-court "grunting", which reached a recorded 101 decibels during a match at Wimbledon in 2005. During her second round match in Birmingham in 2003, Sharapova was asked to tone down the level of her grunt after opponent Nathalie Dechy complained to the umpire, with Sharapova's response saying that her grunting was "a natural instinct." Monica Seles suggested that grunting is involuntary and a part of tennis. When questioned by the media about her grunting, Sharapova urged the media to "just watch the match." Her defensive game has been worked on by her new coach, and this has reflected in her results, making consecutive semi-finals at premier mandatory events on the tour.

Serve

Early in her career Sharapova's first and second serves were regarded as powerful, and she was believed to possess one of the best deliveries on the Tour. Since the beginning of 2007, however, problems with her shoulder have reduced the effectiveness of her serve. The shoulder injury not only resulted in her inconsistent first serves, but also her hitting high numbers of double faults. Two-time US Open singles champion Tracy Austin believes that Sharapova often loses confidence in the rest of her game when she experiences problems with her serve and consequently produces more unforced errors and generally plays more tentatively, while tennis writer Joel Drucker remarked that her serve was the "catalyst for her entire game", and that her struggles with it left her "unmasked."

In her return from layoff in 2008 to 2009, she used an abbreviated motion, which was somewhat less powerful, and though producing aces also gave a very high number of double faults. After her early loss at the 2009 US Open, Sharapova returned to a more elongated motion, similar to her pre-surgery serve. She has since been able to produce speeds greater than before, including a 121 mph serve hit at the Birmingham tournament in 2010 – the fastest serve of her career.

However since her shoulder operation Sharapova has been unable to control her serve. This has led to numerous faults, as she can't feel how much power she is generating. The new action led to an elbow injury, but under Thomas Hogstedt it has improved but can still be erratic.

Surfaces

Because she predicates her game on power, Sharapova's preferred surfaces are the fast-playing hard and grass courts, as evident through her 24 victories on hard court and grass court. This is most notable when she won the 2004 Wimbledon, 2006 U.S. Open and 2008 Australian Open crowns, where she had her career breakthrough and played her peak tennis level, respectively.

Sharapova, however, is not as well-suited to the slower clay courts as she is on hard and grass courts. Sharapova has admitted that she is not as comfortable with her movement on clay compared with other court surfaces and once described herself as like a "cow on ice" after a match on clay, due to her inability to slide. Despite this, she has shown improvement on this surface with respect to experience, as evident with her first WTA red clay title at the 2010 Internationaux de Strasbourg, 7 years since playing on the WTA circuit. Less than a year later, she won her biggest red clay title at the Tier I 2011 Internazionali BNL d'Italia.

Ground strokes and net-play

Sharapova is also known for her phenomenally accurate and powerful groundstrokes. She has a powerful forehand which tends to set up points and create successful winners. Sharapova occasionally utilizes a reverse follow-through on her forehand, similar to that of Lindsay Davenport and Rafael Nadal, which allows her to hit the ball later than normal and add top-spin, while it can also lead to timing issues resulting in errors. The backhand, although not as dominant in setting points up, is her more reliable shot with many tennis analysts  considering this to be her best asset, and one of tennis' great shots. Her net play is good when on the attack, often she will choose to drive the volley instead of slice volleys, but this is not seen as a strength—this seems to be continually worked on.

Personal life

Sharapova has lived in the United States since moving there at the age of seven. She has a residence in Manhattan Beach, California and in Netanya, Israel.

Sharapova lists fashion, movies, music and reading the Sherlock Holmes and Pippi Longstocking series as among her off-court interests, while she has also talked in the past about how she takes hip-hop dance classes. She has a Pomeranian named Dolce, which means "sweet" in Italian, and is also a stamp collector with a "huge collection" compiled since she was a child.

Sharapova is engaged to Slovenian professional basketball player Sasha Vujačić (''Saša Vujačič, Саша Вујачић''), who plays for the Anadolu Efes S.K. in Istanbul, Turkey. The two have been dating since 2009.

At the 2004 US Open, Sharapova, along with several other Russian female tennis players, wore a black ribbon in observance of the tragedy after the Beslan school hostage crisis, which took place only days before. In 2005, she donated around US$50,000 to those affected by the crisis. On February 14, 2007, Sharapova was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and donated US$210,000 to UNDP Chernobyl-recovery projects. She stated at the time that she was planning to travel back to the area after Wimbledon in 2008, though it didn't happen as she had to travel back to the US because of shoulder injury. She fulfilled the trip in late June – early July 2010.

In addition, with Angela Haynes, Maria Kirilenko, Nicole Vaidišová, Rennae Stubbs, Governor Jeb Bush and Jennifer Capriati, Sharapova participated in an exhibition in Tampa in December 2004, raising money for the Florida Hurricane Relief Fund.

In July 2008, Sharapova sent a message on DVD to the memorial service of Emily Bailes, who had performed the coin toss ahead of the 2004 Wimbledon final that Sharapova had gone on to win.

Sharapova has helped to promote the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

In 2011, Sharapova was named in Forbes Celebrity 100. This lists her as one of the top 100 most powerful celebrities of the year.

Sharapova has made varying remarks on how long she intends to maintain her tennis career. Following the retirement of 25-year-old Justine Henin in 2008, Sharapova said, "If I was 25 and I'd won so many Grand Slams, I'd quit too." In an interview after the 2008 Australian Open, she balked at the idea of playing for another ten years, saying that she hoped to have a "nice husband and a few kids" by then. However in an interview before her 2012 Australian Open semi-final, Sharapova changed her stance, claiming she intended to continue playing tennis for as long as she enjoyed playing the game. Sharapova stated "I'm sure when I was 17 years old and someone said, you'll be playing for another eight years, it would be like, you're not going to see me at a press conference at 25 years old. But years go on. I missed a year in my career – I didn't play that year. I've said this, just before the tournament, a few weeks before, I woke up and I was just so happy to be going back on the court. I felt so fresh, full of energy, just with a really good perspective. Times change, obviously. I see myself playing this sport for many more years because it's something that gives me the most pleasure in my life. I think it helps when you know you're good at something, and you can always improve it. It obviously helps with the encouragement."

Endorsements

Sharapova's tennis success and appearance have enabled her to secure commercial endorsements that greatly exceed the value of her tournament winnings. In April 2005, ''People'' named her one of the 50 most beautiful celebrities in the world. In 2006, ''Maxim'' ranked Sharapova the hottest athlete in the world for the fourth consecutive year. She posed in a six-page bikini photoshoot spread in the 2006 Valentine's Day issue of the ''Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue'', alongside 25 supermodels.

In a poll run by Britain's ''FHM'' magazine, she was voted the seventh most eligible bachelorette, based on both "wealth and looks."

Sharapova used the Prince Triple Threat Hornet for part of 2003 and then used several different Prince racquets until the US Open. She gave the racquet she used in the 2004 Wimbledon final to Regis Philbin when taping ''Live with Regis and Kelly''. Sharapova began using the Prince Shark OS at that tournament and had a major part in the production of the Shark racquet. She then switched to the Prince O3 White racquet in January 2006. Because of Sharapova's various shoulder injuries, she switched to the Prince O3 Speedport Black in July 2008. In January 2011, it was announced that Sharapova would endorse Head racquets and use the Head YOUTEK Radical Midplus.

Sharapova signed a sponsorship deal in January 2007 with Gatorade and Tropicana.

In June 2007, Forbes magazine listed her as the highest-paid female athlete in the world, with annual earnings of over US $26 million, the majority of which was from endorsements and sponsorships. In a later interview, she said, "You know, one of the greatest things about being an athlete and, you know, making money is realizing that you can help, you know, help the world, and especially children, who I absolutely love working with."

In 2007, Sharapova was featured in a number of Canon USA's commercials for the PowerShot.

Sharapova has also been depicted in many tennis-related video games, along with such players as Daniela Hantuchová, Lindsay Davenport, Venus Williams and Anna Kournikova. Some of the titles include the ''Top Spin series'', ''Virtua Tennis'' series, and ''Grand Slam Tennis'' series.

Upon hearing that ''Sports Illustrated'' had named her in 2006 as the world's best-paid female athlete, Sharapova said, apparently only a little tongue-in-cheek, "It's never enough. Bring on the money. There's no limit to how much you can make."

In January 2010, it was announced that Sharapova had renewed her contract with Nike, signing an 8 year deal for $70 million. This is the most lucrative deal ever for a sportswoman, dwarfing the previous record, which was Venus Williams' $43 million deal with Reebok.

Wealth

In July 2008, as a result of her success both on and off court, she was the world's highest-paid female athlete, earning US $26 million.

In January 2010, she signed an eight-year Nike contract, worth $70 million.

In August 2011, Maria Sharapova was again named as the world's highest-paid female athlete by ''Forbes'', earning $25 million.

Career statistics and awards

Grand Slam Finals

Singles: 6 (3–3)

{|class="sortable wikitable" |- !width=100|Outcome !width=50|Year !width=200|Championship !width=75|Surface !width=200|Opponent in the final !width=200|Score in the final |- style="background:#cfc;" |bgcolor=98FB98|Winner||2004||Wimbledon||Grass|| Serena Williams||6–1, 6–4 |- style="background:#ccf;" |bgcolor=98FB98|Winner||2006||US Open||Hard|| Justine Henin||6–4, 6–4 |- style="background:#ffc;" |bgcolor=FFA07A|Runner-up||2007||Australian Open||Hard|| Serena Williams||1–6, 2–6 |- style="background:#ffc;" |bgcolor=98FB98|Winner||2008||Australian Open||Hard|| Ana Ivanović||7–5, 6–3 |- style="background:#cfc;" |bgcolor=FFA07A|Runner-up||2011||Wimbledon||Grass|| Petra Kvitová||3–6, 4–6 |- style="background:#ffc;" |bgcolor=FFA07A|Runner-up||2012||Australian Open||Hard|| Victoria Azarenka||3–6, 0–6 |}

Awards

;2003 Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Newcomer of the Year ;2004 WTA Player of the Year WTA Most Improved Player of the Year ;2005 ESPY Best Female Tennis Player

Named the country's best female player for the year by Russia's tennis federation

Master of Sports of Russia

Prix de Citron Roland Garros ;2006

Named the country's best female player for the year by Russia's tennis federation

Whirlpool 6th Sense Player of the Year ;2007 ESPY Best Female Tennis Player ESPY Best International Female Athlete

ESPN Hottest Female Athlete

;2008

Named the January 2008 female Athlete of the Month by the United States Sports Academy for her performance at the Australian Open

ESPY Best Female Tennis Player ;2010 WTA Fan Favorite Singles Player WTA Humanitarian Of The Year WTA Most Fashionable Player (On Court) WTA Most Fashionable Player (Off Court) WTA Most Dramatic Expression (2010)

References

External links

{{navboxes|title=Maria Sharapova in the Grand Slam Tournaments |list1= }} {{navboxes|title=Maria Sharapova career statistics |list1= }}

Category:1987 births Category:Living people Category:Australian Open (tennis) champions Category:Eastern Orthodox Christians from Russia Category:Expatriate sportspeople in the United States Category:People from Bradenton, Florida Category:People from Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug Category:Russian expatriates in the United States Category:Russian female models Category:Russian female tennis players Category:Russian people of Belarusian descent Category:United States Open champions (tennis) Category:Wimbledon champions Category:World No. 1 tennis players

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