Movie stardom beckons for tennis beauty Sharapova

Teenage tennis ace Maria Sharapova's surprise Wimbledon victory has prompted Hollywood bosses to develop a movie based on her life.

The leggy 17-year-old - who stunned the sporting world on Saturday by beating favourite Serena Williams to lift the women's singles title - has captured the imagination of studio chiefs, who deem her transition from a poverty- stricken child in Siberia to a tennis champion a fascinating subject for the big screen.

A movie insider says: "Maria's life is an incredible story. She really is the poor girl made good. She's beautiful, smart and talented. It will be a huge hit - there's no doubt about that."

Before she was born, Sharapova and her family fled Siberia for a new life in Russia, to escape the fall-out from the infamous Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

At the age of seven, Maria and her father jetted to America to track down coaches capable of turning the youngster into a star.