At age 18, Maria Sharapova makes $14.5 million
A Russian magazine published the second annual list of Russian athletes who were paid top salaries in 2005. Maria Sharapova replaced the NHL player Alexei Yashin at the highest position. Still, the list is mostly about hockey players. In total, the richest athletes earned slightly more than $179 million in 2005; last year's total amount stood at $195 million. A decrease in the total amount is due a new agreement between hockey clubs and the NHL players' trade union. The majority of hockey players are paid smaller salaries under the new agreement

World's tennis player No. 1 answered questions for Pravda.Ru before the opening of the Kremlin Cup in Moscow 
The Kremlin Cup international tennis tournament opened in Moscow yesterday. Maria Sharapova's arrival in Moscow has already become the central event of the entire tournament. Maria gave a press conference on the threshold of the event. Maria Sharapova drives a BMW, makes her perfume and says that Moscow is one of the most beautiful cities on the globe

It is believed she quits the team because Maria Sharapova joins it next season
Famous tennis player Anastasia Myskina will not play for the Russian national team at the Fed Cup. The tennis star says she wants to make way for young tennis players wishing to become members of the Russian tennis team

Sharapova gains $22 million of annual profits with the help of her commercial contracts
Maria Sharapova has finally become world's No. 1 on Monday, as she officially replaced Lindsay Davenport from this position at the top of the WTA rating. Maria's achievements at WTA tournaments over the recent 52 weeks turned out to be best amid all other female tennis players. Sharapova has become the 15th player, who topped the WTA rankings since 1975. The also became the first Russian tennis player to reach the top of the world tennis

The 101.2 decibel screaming may help the Russian tennis player win Wimbledon 2005
Maria Sharapova, the winner of Wimbledon 2004, has won a victory today over her country-fellow, Nadezhda Petrova, in the struggle for the semifinal of the most prestigious tennis tournament. Bookmakers believe that the 18-year-old Russian tennis star has all chances to win Wimbledon 2005

The Russian tennis player will become the world's highest paid athlete, making up to $100 million every year
Russian girl Maria Sharapova has conquered the world of tennis. Nature has showered her with beauty, long legs, an incredible capacity for work and a huge sports potential. Anna Kournikova has been considered the central sex symbol of sports for recent several years. Anna has made it possible to raise the popularity of women's sports. Foreigners may not know Russian president's first name, but everybody knows Kournikova's name

The press has called Maria Sharapova "The Ice Queen". An obvious reference to her being born in Siberia... Nicknames are usually permanent in sports. Now Miss Sharapova may always be called The Ice Queen. In the West not being nervous or anxious when you are under pressure is called being cool under pressure, or being 'like ice'. When asked if she was nervous before her finals match with Serena Williams she said, "I'm only 17 how can I be nervous?"

Wimbledon in state of shock after Serena Williams crashes out to Russian teenager
Maria Sharapova won the Women's Final in the prestigious Wimbledon tennis tournament yesterday, beating Serena Williams in two sets with a convincing display of tennis, 6-1 and 6-4, denying the two-times champion her hat-trick.

Anna Kournikova no longer a sex symbol?
Russian beauty Anna Kournikova has been the sex-symbol of the world tennis for five years already. Now the fortune of Anna makes up millions of dollars. She can afford practically everything but winning at least one WTA single tournament, although this is her primary job. The other day the largest western TV companies reported that Anna Kournikova was pregnant. If it is true, Anna will certainly lose the last thing that returns interest to her: the title of the world tennis sex symbol. Who will take the title over? 

 

Male tennis players say the voice of Sharapova helps them perform better
Guess who is a slender, long-legged, blond and blue-eyed Russian tennis player? This is not Anna Kournikova, but Maria Sharapova. The girl has been already called "another Kournikova". Maria's pictures can be obtained everywhere on the Internet. The girl has recently turned 16 but she has already appeared on the covers of popular magazines such as Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair and Sports Illustrated. The most popular tennis tournament starts in London soon. Before the very beginning of the event it has been already marked with a sensation: Maria Sharapova has clinched the title of the sexiest tennis player from Anna Kournikova