Brian Mackness / WENN

Maria Sharapova hits a two-handed backhand

Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova puts some *oomph* into a two-handed backhand during a match with Anne Kremer in the second round of the DFS Classic in Birmingham, England. The date was June 7, 2005, which means this was probably a grass court tune-up tournament for Wimbledon, which happened later the same month. Sharapova went on to win the DFS Classic that year. At Wimbledon, she was beaten in the semifinals by Venus Williams, who then beat Lindsay Davenport in the finals to claim the women's singles crown.

See our biography of Maria Sharapova