Maria Sharapova

A gifted tennis star, Maria Sharapova became a global celebrity on and off the court. Born in Nyagan, Russia, Maria Yuryevna Sharapova demonstrated a world-class tennis ability from a young age, and her parents made enormous sacrifices to get her into the United States to ensure she received elite-level training. Everything paid off as Sharapova more than delivered on her initial athletic promise, bursting onto the professional scene in 2001. At 17, she won Wimbledon in a jaw-dropping upset over more experienced rivals, which helped turn her into a mainstream media sensation. In 2005, she rose to the No. 1 ranking in the world, and she would spend the next part of her career either defending her top slot or hovering somewhere close by. She won the U.S. Open in 2006 and the Australian Open in 2008, but surgery to repair a shoulder injury changed her ability to control her serve. Nevertheless, Sharapova went on to win the 2012 French Open, which made her only the 10th woman in history to complete a career Grand Slam, and won a silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Proving one of the most popular players of the modern era for both her powerful athletic ability as well as her beauty, the 6'2" stunner earned a slew of high-profile endorsements, including her own line of gummy candy, Sugarpova.