Ranked World No.5 by the Women’s TennisAssociation and with 29 WTA singles championships, including four Grand Slam singles titles to become the top Russian female player, Maria Sharapova sets foot onto the tennis courts before she joins the other A-list athletes at Madame Tussauds Hong Kong. Tennis fans can now get up close to this Russian sporting legend and learn how to master her forehand swing!

Sharapova started her passion for tennis at the age of four and made her professional ground-breaking debut in 2004 when she was 17 by defeating top seed Serena Williams to earn her first Grand Slam singles title at the 2004 Wimbledon Final. Following this she was ranked world No.1 in 2005 and subsequently, she went on to win more major titles at the 2006 US Open and 2008 Australian Open. By capturing her fourth Grand Slam title at the 2012 French Open, she became the sixth women in the Open Era to complete the Career Grand Slam in singles.

On top of her tennis success, the Russian superstar has been the face of many luxury brands and was listed as one of the highest-paid female athletes in the world. For Madame Tussauds Hong Kong, Sharapova will be styled in her sports outfit as she appeared when she won the 2012 French Open and striking her winning forehand pose for victory.

“Sharapova will be the first tennis star to be part of Madame Tussauds Hong Kong and tennisfanatics can challenge her in a game of tennis with the interactive experience. We are excited to welcome Sharapova to the attraction and we hope to bring in many more rising stars from thesports world this year,” says Kelly Mak, General Manager of Madame Tussauds Hong Kong.

Maria Sharapova will take up permanent residence at Madame Tussauds Hong Kong in ‘The Champions’ area, joining other sports stars such as David Beckham and Yao Ming.—Agencies