"I couldn't have succeeded without [my parents]", Sharapova said, and she was right. She and her parents fled to Seberia to avoid the effects of Chernobyl. She and her father then emigrated to Florida when she was only 7. When Maria was 9, she was enrolled at Nick Bollettieri's Tennis Academy. When Maria kept knocking thousands of balls in the baskets each day, coach Nick Bollettieri realized the potential talent in her. Maria never just wanted to practice drills, she always wanted to play points against both girls and boys. She grew up tall, beautiful, and talented. Although she signed a contract with a model company, she wanted people to remember her by her talent, not by her beauty. On July 3rd, 2004, she defeated #1 seed Serena Williams in the Wimbledon and in front of the entire world. She hugged her trophy and her father, knowing that she would never be there if it wasn't for her parents.