"Hard work and firm determination is …

Maria Sharapova’s story of success as she became the top seeded woman tennis player in the world motivates us. She overcame all the hurdles and bore humiliation too in order to achieve her dream. Maria’s hunger for success and her competitive spirit kept her going.

Maria Sharapova inspires us to remain determined and make sacrifices in order to fulfil our dreams. On 22 August 2005, Maria became the top seeded player in the world women’s tennis player rankings. She made great sacrifices to achieve her goal. At the tender age of nine, she left her home in Siberia, Russia to get training in tennis. She went to Florida in USA with her father. Maria suffered a painful separation from her mother for a period of two years. She could not see her father too as he remained busy working, arranging funds for all her needs. She was bullied by her seniors and being a foreigner, she had to suffer all that patiently. Maria did not feel depressed, rather she was prepared for greater insults too in order to achieve her aim. Her mantra for success is to work hard and face the toughest competition. Although she was trained in the US, she considers herself to be a Russian and is wiling to represent Russia at the Olympics too. Her favourite hobbies are fashion, singing and dancing. She loves reading novels written by Arthur Conan Doyle. Her love for fashionable evening gowns is in contrast to her liking for pancakes with chocolate spread and orange flavoured aerated drinks. The monetary gains and the fame incurred by Maria are well deserved.