Maria Sharapova

Maria Sharapova

She arrived in Florida at seven, brought from Nyagan in Siberia by a father carrying 700 dollars, and ten years later she owned Centre Court. At Wimbledon in 2004 the 17-year-old Maria Sharapova beat two-time defending champion Serena Williams 6-1, 6-4, and by August 2005, at 18, she was the world No. 1, the first Russian woman to hold the ranking. She spent 21 weeks there in all.

Her 5 majors covered every surface: one each at Wimbledon, the US Open and the Australian Open, then two at Roland Garros, where the 2012 title completed the career Grand Slam on the clay that had once suited her least. That reinvention followed 2008 rotator cuff surgery and a rebuilt serve. In 2016 she tested positive for meldonium at the Australian Open and served a 15-month suspension. She retired in February 2020 with 36 career titles and a competitor's reputation nobody disputed.