Maria started playing tennis at age four. When she was nine, she left Russia for the Bollettieri Academy in Florida and didn't see her mother, who had to stay in Russia, for two years. Sharapova turned pro in 2001, on her fourteenth birthday.
In 2003, Maria won her first WTA Tour singles titles and played all four Grand Slams, doing best at Wimbledon, where she made the fourth round. In 2004, it was Wimbledon that made her an instant superstar, as, at age 17, she stunned the tennis world by defeating Lindsay Davenport in the semifinal and Serena Williams in the final. Advertisers were as quick to notice as the most avid tennis fan. Within a year, Sharapova had already earned more than 16 million dollars from advertising contracts.
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