Maria Sharapova's Success and Achievements in Timeline

A success timeline featuring the most significant achievements of Maria Sharapova.

Maria Sharapova is a retired Russian professional tennis player who achieved the world No. 1 ranking. A dominant force in women's tennis, she held the top spot for 21 weeks and accumulated 36 WTA Tour-level singles titles. Her career is highlighted by five major titles and winning the 2004 WTA Tour Championships. Sharapova distinguished herself as one of the few women to accomplish a Career Grand Slam in singles, solidifying her place among the sport's elite.

Sections (7)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals Legacy & Impact

November 2000: Eddie Herr Championship Win

In November 2000, Maria Sharapova won the Eddie Herr International Junior Tennis Championships in the girls' 16 division at the age of 13 and received the Rising Star Award.

2003: First Full Season and WTA Titles

In 2003, Maria Sharapova played a full season, climbed into the top 50, debuted at the Australian Open and French Open, reached the fourth round at Wimbledon, captured her first WTA title at the Japan Open Tennis Championships, and won her second at the Bell Challenge in Quebec City. She was also awarded the WTA Newcomer of the Year honor.

2004: Use of Prince More Attack 920 and Wimbledon Win

In 2004, Maria Sharapova started the season using the Prince More Attack 920 racquet, which she then used to win the 2004 Wimbledon Championships. She later gifted the racquet to Regis Philbin.

2004: WTA Tour Championships

In 2004, Maria Sharapova won the WTA Tour Championships.

2004: Wimbledon Championships Victory

In 2004, at 17 years old, Maria Sharapova won the Wimbledon Championships, upsetting Serena Williams, the two-time defending champion.

April 2005: Named one of People's 50 most beautiful celebrities

In April 2005, People magazine named Sharapova one of the 50 most beautiful celebrities in the world, reflecting her widespread recognition and public appeal.

August 2005: World No. 1 Ranking

In August 2005, Maria Sharapova became the world No. 1 for the first time at the age of 18, making her the first Russian woman to achieve this ranking.

September 2005: Return to World No. 1 Ranking

On 12 September 2005, Maria Sharapova regained the world No. 1 ranking after the US Open.

2005: Named to Forbes Celebrity 100

From 2005, Sharapova was named to the Forbes Celebrity 100, which attempts to compile the top 100 most powerful celebrities of that year.

March 2006: Highest-paid female athlete

In March 2006, Forbes magazine listed Sharapova as the highest-paid female athlete in the world, with annual earnings of over US$18 million, mostly from endorsements and sponsorships.

2006: Indian Wells Title

In 2006, Maria Sharapova won the Tier I tournament in Indian Wells, defeating Elena Dementieva in the final. She had previously lost in the semifinals of the Australian Open and Dubai Tennis Championships.

February 2007: Appointed UNDP Goodwill Ambassador

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.

2007: Continued as highest-paid female athlete

In 2007, Sharapova continued to be the highest-paid female athlete, topping the Forbes list despite her shoulder injury.

2008: Australian Open Title

In 2008, Maria Sharapova won the Australian Open.

2009: First red clay title at Internationaux de Strasbourg

In 2009, Sharapova won her first red clay title at the Internationaux de Strasbourg, marking a significant improvement on clay courts.

2010: Return to elongated serving motion

From 2010, Sharapova returned to a more elongated serving motion, similar to her pre-surgery serve. She achieved greater speeds, including a 121 mph serve at the Birmingham tournament in 2010.

June 2011: Named a Tennis Legend

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

2011: Last year on Forbes Celebrity 100

2011 was the last year that Sharapova was named to the Forbes Celebrity 100.

2011: Only woman on Forbes list of top-paid athletes

In 2011, Forbes listed Sharapova as No. 29 in their list of 50 top-paid athletes, making her the only woman on the list.

2011: Madrid Open, Italian Open and French Open

In 2011, during the clay-court season, Maria Sharapova participated in the Madrid Open and the Italian Open, winning the latter by defeating Caroline Wozniacki in the semifinals and Samantha Stosur in the final. At the French Open, she reached the semifinals, losing to Li Na.

March 2012: Named One of the Greatest of All Time

In March 2012, Maria Sharapova was named one of the "100 Greatest of All Time" by Tennis Channel.

2012: Olympic Debut and Silver Medal

In 2012, Maria Sharapova made her Olympic debut at the London Summer Olympics. She won a silver medal in singles, losing to Serena Williams in the final.

2012: Indian Wells Open, Sony Ericsson Open and Porsche Grand Prix

In 2012, Maria Sharapova reached the final of the Indian Wells Open, losing to Victoria Azarenka. She also reached the final of the Sony Ericsson Open, losing to Agnieszka Radwańska. She won her first title of the year at the Porsche Grand Prix in Stuttgart, defeating Victoria Azarenka. Sharapova defeated three current Grand Slam title holders to win the tournament.

2012: French Open Win

In 2012, Maria Sharapova used Head racquets from their Instinct line to win the French Open.

2012: French Open Title and Olympic Medal

In 2012, Maria Sharapova won the French Open to complete her career Grand Slam, and shortly after, she won an Olympic silver medal in women's singles at the London Olympics.

2012: French Open Victory and Olympic Flag Bearer

In 2012, Maria Sharapova won the French Open, securing her fourth career Grand Slam title and completing a Career Grand Slam. She was also chosen by the Russian Olympic Committee to be the flag bearer at the opening ceremony for the 2012 Summer Olympics, becoming the first female Russian athlete to receive this honor.

2012: Victory at Stuttgart Open

In 2012, Maria Sharapova won the Stuttgart Open, marking the start of her three-year winning streak at the tournament.

2012: Forbes list of top-paid athletes

In 2012, Sharapova was listed as No. 15 on the Forbes list of top-paid athletes, joined by Li Na at No. 16 and Serena Williams at No. 17.

2013: Victory at Stuttgart Open

In 2013, Maria Sharapova won the Stuttgart Open, marking the second year of her three-year winning streak at the tournament.

2014: US Open Win

In 2014, Maria Sharapova achieved her first US Open win since the 2014 US Open, opening the US Open against Simona Halep and winning in three sets.

2014: Second French Open Title

In 2014, Maria Sharapova won her second French Open title, marking her fifth major championship.

2014: Victory at Stuttgart Open

In 2014, Maria Sharapova won the Stuttgart Open, marking the third year of her three-year winning streak at the tournament.

2014: Highest winning percentage on clay

In 2014, Sharapova led the WTA Tour with the highest winning percentage on clay among active players, with an 84.25% winning rate. This was a high point in her clay court performance.

2015: First grasscourt win since 2015

In 2015, Sharapova made a return after being away for over four months, in the grasscourt season at the Mallorca Open where she received a wild card and recorded her first grasscourt win since 2015.

2015: WTA Title Since 2015

In 2015, Sharapova's first WTA title since 2015 was at the Tianjin Open.

April 2017: Return to WTA Tour

In April 2017, Maria Sharapova returned to the WTA Tour after her suspension, receiving wildcards for the Stuttgart Open, Madrid Open, and Italian Open. She won her first match back at the Porsche Grand Prix against Roberta Vinci.