Whether you love her or hate her, everyone has an opinion about Masha.

Conceived 150 kilometres from Chernobyl four months after the nuclear disaster, Sharapova was born in Siberia, where her parents had relocated. At age seven, she took off for the United States. What came next was her first major title at 17, the first world number one ranking for a Russian woman, at least one title at every Grand Slam event, her fourth and fifth majors at Roland-Garros in 2012 and 2014, an Olympic silver medal in London, a final at Fed Cup by BNP Paribas in 2015, nearly 40 titles, extravagant endorsement deals and more. One must admit that the Russian had what it took to rack up the accolades: athletic, powerful and aggressive on the court, Sharapova also had the physique and elegance of a model. Yet she stunned the world in 2016 by announcing she had tested positive for the performance-enhancing drug meldonium. Maria served out her 15-month suspension, then returned to competition in April 2017. She continued to hold her own against the young generation, defeating players like Halep, Pliskova and Ostapenko. But not like before. Suffering from back problems, Sharapova only played two matches in 2020, which she lost. It was time to exit the stage.

Current projects: Entrepreneur (Sugarpova), film