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 £15m over five years, including bonuses – Sharapova today signed the most lucrative deal ever for a sportswoman, worth $70m (£43m) to the Russian over eight years.
The deal with Nike, revealed by Bloomberg News, surpasses the previous highest one, a $45m 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 No1 Tiger Woods have put companies even more on edge. Woods is the first sportsman ever to pass the $1bn 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 No14 in the world rankings but faces increased competition at the top after the return from retirement of two Belgian former world No1s, 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.
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 on Thursday at the Kooyong Classic.
Murray had been touted as a potential replacement for the world No1 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 Martín del Potro, Fernando Verdasco, Fernando González, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Tommy Haas in the eight-man field.
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