9 Reasons Maria Sharapova Is The Ultimate Businesswoman-Athlete

Sports

9 Reasons Maria Sharapova Is The Ultimate Businesswoman-Athlete

9:30 am, July 18th | by Laura Simmons

The other day Maria Sharapova made history when she was named as Russia’s first-ever female Olympic flag-bearer. So that got us thinking: Everybody knows Maria Sharapova is a competitive athlete and a truly talented professional tennis player, but what else is this 25 year old doing in order to be so successful? Having won her first grand-slam at the young age of 17, Maria has gone on to become a driving force in professional women’s tennis, but that’s not all. According to Forbes, Maria Sharapova is ranked 26^th on the “World’s Highest Paid Athletes” list and in 2012 alone, she made $5.9 million in her tournament winnings and an impressive $22 million in sponsorships. So clearly, Maria Sharapova is quite the businesswoman.

With this in mind, we did some investigating and learned that she has also successfully expanded her brand into almost every available market including fashion, technology, cosmetics, sports equipment and even food. So not only is she a power-house athlete, but Maria Sharapova is a savy entrepreneur,as well. Here is a slideshow of a few of Maria’s successful business ventures. We can’t wait to see what she will bring us in the future!

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1.1) Evian Water Campaign

Maria joined the Evian "Roller Babies" campaign that promotes a "Live Young" lifestyle. So, we can expect to see Maria only drinking Evian water on the court in August at the U.S Open.

Image And Information From Women's Tennis Blog .

2.2) Head Racquets & Bags

You know you're famous when....you get to develop your own tennis racquet collection with the help of experts. Maria signed a multi-year contract with Head Racquets and will collaborate with the company to construct new, cutting-edge racquets. Sharapova is also involved in the design of the stylish Head tennis bags.

Image From Tennis Buzz . Information from Sports Pro .

3.3) Maria Sharapova Collection For Nike

Maria also has a clothing line at Nike! She designs tops, skirts, dresses and shoes for the girl who wants to dress like Maria on the court. In 2010, Maria extended her contract with Nike for 8 more years (until 2018) for an estimated $70 million. Her Nike clothing line even doubled in sales in 2011.

Image From Nike . Information from Bloomberg

4.4) Sharapova For Samsung Russia

In 2012, Maria Sharapova signed a three-year sponsorship deal with Samsung Electronics Co. The deal is reportedly special to Maria because the company aims to conduct promotions in Russia- Maria's homeland.

Image From The Slice . Information from Bloomberg

5.5) Sharapova Line For TAG Heuer Watches

Maria Sharapova even has her own collection of diamond encrusted watches and sunglasses at the luxury Swiss brand TAG Heuer. What girl wouldn't want their own collection of diamond watches and high-fashion sunglasses?

Image From Authentic Watches . Information From New York Times .

6.6) Maria Sharapova Line For Cole Haan

I recently walked into a Cole Haan store in New York only to pick up some flats that were part of the Maria Sharapova line for Cole Haan. Maria's shoe line is actually the best selling female shoe at Cole Haan according to Forbes .

Image From Cole Haan

7.7) Maria Sharapova For Women Perfume

Like every celebrity in the world, Maria launched a perfume collection named Maria Sharapova For Women. Not very descriptive, but I'll take it!

Image From Fragrentica . Information From Perfume Emporium .

8.8) Sharapova's Partnership With Tiffany's

Collaborating with Tiffany's is every girls' dream and I was especially jealous when I learned that Tiffany's designs a pair of earrings especially for Maria for every tournament she plays. I wonder what her earrings will look like at the U.S Open?

Image From Shopping Blog . Information From Tiffany and Co. For The Press .

9.9) Sugarpova?

Finally, Maria extended her brand even further with the introduction of her very own candy line: Sugarpova. The candy line will consist of gummies as well as melon flavored gumballs in the shape of tennis balls and packaged in replica ball cans. So cute! The candy is reportedly being released in August at the start of the U.S Open. Yum!

Image And Information From The Twist