TENNIS:NO ONE can accuse Maria Sharapova of not planning for the future. While Andy Murray has been sporting his new range of Adidas clothing in the build-up to next week's Australian Open – a deal worth up to €16.7 million over five years, including bonuses – Sharapova yesterday signed the most lucrative deal ever for a sportswoman, worth €48 million to the Russian over eight years.
The deal with Nike, revealed yesterday by Bloomberg News, surpasses the previous highest one, a €31 million contract over five years given to Venus Williams, the five-times Wimbledon champion. It would be a monumental deal at any time but especially so in the present economic climate, when companies are increasingly more reluctant to associate themselves with big sports stars.
The recent revelations about the private life of golf’s world number one Tiger Woods have put companies even more on edge. Woods is the first sportsman ever to pass the $1 billion mark in career earnings, including endorsements, but Sharapova, who will design a series of tennis dresses as part of the deal, is clearly seen as a safer bet.
What makes the deal even more remarkable is that Sharapova will be 30 by the time the contract is up. Given that she won Wimbledon as a 17-year-old and has had more than her fair share of injuries, there has to be a good chance that she will no longer be playing on the tour by then. The Russian had surgery on her right shoulder in October 2008 and only returned to the tour in May of last year. Since then she has climbed back to number 14 in the world rankings but faces increased competition at the top after the return from retirement of two Belgian former world number ones, Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin. Clijsters won the US Open last September in just her third tournament back and Henin returned to the circuit in Brisbane last week, reaching the final before losing to Clijsters.
Sharapova is the fourth favorite to win the Australian Open, which starts on January 18th. Clijsters and Serena Williams are co-favourites at 3 to 1, ahead of Henin at 4 to 1, according to bookmaker Ladbrokes. Sharapova is 8 to 1.
Sharapova makes close to €15 million a year in prize money and from endorsing companies.
Venus Williams extended an agreement with Reebok in 2000 that the clothing maker said at the time was “the most lucrative for a female athlete”. The five-year contract was worth about €31 million, the player’s family attorney said at the time. Sharapova, who has nine sponsors, may drop some endorsements in favour of agreements that give her a percentage of sales, Max Eisenbud, Sharapovas agent said.
Sharapova returned to the WTA Tour in May. She made the quarter-finals of the French Open and then lost early at both Wimbledon and the US Open. Her play improved late in the year, when she won her 20th Tour title in Tokyo and ended the season ranked number 14.
Murray, meanwhile, has decided to play an extra match to improve his chances at Melbourne Park. The Scot, who played four singles matches indoors last week in the Hopman Cup in Perth, will play an exhibition match tomorrow at the Kooyong Classic.
Murray had been touted as a potential replacement for the world number one Roger Federer after he withdrew from the event at the weekend but that spot has gone to Ivan Ljubicic. His opponent has yet to be confirmed but Andy Roddick, the Wimbledon runner-up for a third time last summer, is thought to be keen.
Ljubicic joins Novak Djokovic, Robin Soderling, Juan Martin del Potro, Fernando Verdasco, Fernando Gonzalez, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Tommy Haas in the eight-man field.
