Maria Sharapova, the richest female athlete in the world, is planning the most audacious move of her career — changing her surname to Sugarpova for the two-week duration of the US Open, in honour of her line of sweets.
The 26-year-old Russian, a former world No 1, has asked about a “quickie†name-change through the Supreme Court of Florida, where she has a base, and would revert to Sharapova after the tournament. It is understood also that the striking emblem of Sugarpova candy, a pair of red lips will feature somewhere on her attire during the final grand slam of the year.
It is an extraordinary ruse by Sharapova and IMG, her management company, and there are no legal barriers to stop her. Sources close to the star, who split last week from her new coach, Jimmy Connors, in Cincinnati after only a single match together, say that she is willing to see whether the change can be made in time.
Sugarpova, the company, is owned by the athlete, who founded it with an estimated $500,000 of her own money. The sweets come in 15 varieties that have labels like “flirtyâ€, “sassy†and “smittenâ€. It has been called “the Spice Girls of the candy world†and it is estimated that 1.8 million bags of the confection, which cost $5 a packet, were sold worldwide last year, with special emphasis on Russia, the United States and Europe. There are outlets in Selfridges stores in London, Manchester and Birmingham.
Should she be able to go through the necessary paperwork, it is understood that she may still need the permission of the grand slam committee. If it agrees, she could be introduced, addressed and have scores called out in favour of Miss Sugarpova for as long as the No 3 seed remains in the event.
The plan comes hard on the heels of the recent announcement that Sharapova, who won her breakthrough grand slam at Wimbledon as a 17-year-old in 2004, has for the ninth year in succession been named as the world’s highest-paid female athlete. On top of her $6 million in earnings, her first victory at the French Open last year brought bonuses in her endorsement deals that topped out at $23 million. That put her almost $8 million ahead of the world No 1, Serena Williams.
There is a celebration tonight on Fifth Avenue, New York, of the first anniversary of the Sugarpova brand. She will unveil an accessory collection. There was no comment from IMG, but it is likely that an announcement confirming Sharapova’s move could be made at the event. Max Eisenbud, Sharapova’s manager, has added Britain’s No 1, Laura Robson, to his stable.
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/sport/tennis/article3847544.ece
The 26-year-old Russian, a former world No 1, has asked about a “quickie†name-change through the Supreme Court of Florida, where she has a base, and would revert to Sharapova after the tournament. It is understood also that the striking emblem of Sugarpova candy, a pair of red lips will feature somewhere on her attire during the final grand slam of the year.
It is an extraordinary ruse by Sharapova and IMG, her management company, and there are no legal barriers to stop her. Sources close to the star, who split last week from her new coach, Jimmy Connors, in Cincinnati after only a single match together, say that she is willing to see whether the change can be made in time.
Sugarpova, the company, is owned by the athlete, who founded it with an estimated $500,000 of her own money. The sweets come in 15 varieties that have labels like “flirtyâ€, “sassy†and “smittenâ€. It has been called “the Spice Girls of the candy world†and it is estimated that 1.8 million bags of the confection, which cost $5 a packet, were sold worldwide last year, with special emphasis on Russia, the United States and Europe. There are outlets in Selfridges stores in London, Manchester and Birmingham.
Should she be able to go through the necessary paperwork, it is understood that she may still need the permission of the grand slam committee. If it agrees, she could be introduced, addressed and have scores called out in favour of Miss Sugarpova for as long as the No 3 seed remains in the event.
The plan comes hard on the heels of the recent announcement that Sharapova, who won her breakthrough grand slam at Wimbledon as a 17-year-old in 2004, has for the ninth year in succession been named as the world’s highest-paid female athlete. On top of her $6 million in earnings, her first victory at the French Open last year brought bonuses in her endorsement deals that topped out at $23 million. That put her almost $8 million ahead of the world No 1, Serena Williams.
There is a celebration tonight on Fifth Avenue, New York, of the first anniversary of the Sugarpova brand. She will unveil an accessory collection. There was no comment from IMG, but it is likely that an announcement confirming Sharapova’s move could be made at the event. Max Eisenbud, Sharapova’s manager, has added Britain’s No 1, Laura Robson, to his stable.
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/sport/tennis/article3847544.ece
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