When Maria Sharapova stepped onto a tennis court, she didn’t just play—she conquered. At 17, she didn’t just win Wimbledon—she slayed Serena, smiled through it, and signed her first million-dollar endorsement deal before the sweat dried. If you weren’t paying attention before 2004, Maria made sure you had to.
Standing tall at 6’2” with cheekbones sharper than her backhand, Sharapova was never just a player. She was a movement. Her grunts? Iconic. Her stare-downs? Chilling. That trophy cabinet? A complete set—5 Grand Slam titles, 36 career titles, and a stint as World No. 1 that screamed, “Yes, I’m pretty and I’ll beat you.”
But Maria wasn’t here to be just another tennis girl with a pretty face and a powerful serve. Oh no—she had plans. While some athletes crumble under fame, Maria built an empire. Literally. She launched Sugarpova, a candy brand with luxury edge (yes, designer sweets are a thing now), and turned herself into a business mogul faster than a Federer forehand.
Of course, no Sharapova story is complete without the scandal. In 2016, she got hit with a 15-month ban for using meldonium—a substance recently added to the banned list. Maria? She owned it. Came out swinging (figuratively and literally), and returned with the kind of grace that silenced even her biggest critics. You don’t get to the top without bruises, baby.
And can we talk fashion? She wasn’t just sitting front row—she was running the whole show. Deals with Nike, Cole Haan, TAG Heuer, and a stint designing her own tennis dresses meant Maria made high-performance high fashion. She served looks and aces.
She officially retired in 2020, but “retired” for Maria means “just got started.” Since then, she’s become a venture capitalist, an entrepreneur, a mom (!), and still walks into rooms like she’s returning serve at the US Open.
Maria Sharapova wasn’t built for the background. She came, she saw, she sold out Centre Court—and left a glitter trail all the way to Forbes’ power lists.
So, whether you loved her, hated her, or just feared her killer crosscourt, one thing’s for sure: Maria didn’t just play the game. She rewrote it.
🎾👠💼 #SharapovaSupremacy #QueenOfTheCourtAndTheBoardroom
