World famous tennis player Maria Sharapova returned not only to the court, but also to big business: she signed an eight-year advertising contract with Nike for $ 70 million. This is a record amount for Russian athletes.
As reported by Bloomberg, the world famous athlete, Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova signed an agreement with the largest sports goods company Nike: Sharapova’s responsibilities will include the design of a line of dresses, as well as an advertising campaign. The girl will receive a percentage of sales, which will ultimately amount to a record $ 70 million for Russian athletes.
“Maria is very happy to stay with this big Nike family,” commented Sharapova’s agent Max Eisenbud.
Sharapova, 22, who has been compared to footballer David Beckham by British business experts in terms of popularity in the world of sports, has been working with one of the largest companies in the production of sports equipment for 11 years. In 2008, the athlete was forced to miss most of the season due to a shoulder injury, but in the summer of 2009 she returned to the big sport, reaching the Rolland Garros quarterfinals and winning the tournament in Tokyo. Today she is the 14th racket in the world.
Sharapova has long been thinking about a career in the fashion world: after completing her sports activities, Maria is seriously planning to take up design.