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Maria Sharapova Net Worth: What Was Drug Controversy All About?

By

Riya Arya

Maria Sharapova is a Russian former world No. 1 tennis player. She participated on the WTA Tour from 2001 to 2020 and was ranked world No. 1 in singles by the Women’s Tennis Association. The winner of five Grand Slam titles, Maria Sharapova is one of ten women, and the only Russian player to achieve the career Grand Slam. In additiona, She won silver medal in women’s singles at the 2012 London Olympics.

Maria Sharapova Net Worth

Maria Sharapova: Early Life & Early Career

Maria Sharapova was born on April 19, 1987, in Nyagan, Siberia, Russia. She began playing tennis at a very young child. She then moved with her father to Florida and earned a scholarship to train at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy when she was 9 years old.

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Sharapova manageed to win at the Eddie Herr International Junior Tennis Championships at age of 16. She reached the finals of the Australian Junior Open and became the youngest girl to reach at such young age. By the end of 2002, she was ranked sixth in the junior world rankings and won three tournaments.

Maria Sharapova: Net Worth

According to Celebrity Net worth, Maria Sharapova has a great estimated net-worth of $180 million. She also earned over $300 million in sponsorships and endorsements.

In addition, She was also the highest-paid female athlete in the world for 11 years.

Maria Sharapova: Awards And Honors

  • Russian Cup Newcomer of the Year
  • Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Newcomer of the Year 2004
  • WTA Player of the Year
  • WTA Most Improved Player of the Year 2005
  • ESPY Best Female Tennis Player
  • Prix de Citron Roland Garros
  • Russian Cup Female Tennis Player of the Year 2006
  • Russian Cup Female Tennis Player of the Year
  • Whirlpool 6th Sense Player of the Year 2007
  • ESPY Best Female Tennis Player
  • ESPY Best International Female Athlete 2008
  • ESPY Best Female Tennis Player
  • Russian Cup Team of the Year (as part of the Fed Cup team) 2010
  • WTA Fan Favorite Singles Player
  • WTA Humanitarian of the Year
  • WTA Most Fashionable Player (On Court)
  • WTA Most Fashionable Player (Off Court)
  • WTA Most Dramatic Expression 2012
  • ESPY Best Female Tennis Player
  • Russian Cup Female Tennis Player of the Year 2016
  • Order For Merit to the Fatherland (February 5, 2016)

Maria Sharapova: Drug Controversy and Suspension

Sharapova made shocking announcement in March 2016, by declaring that she had failed a drug test at the Australian Open in January. Later, The player discussed about the incident and at press confrence, She told that she had tested positive for Mildronate with an ingredient of meldonium.

She had been taking it for health issues since 2006. On January 1, 2016, The drug was added to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s prohibited list. On June 8, 2016, International Tennis Federation (ITF) suspended Sharapova from playing for two years due to failed drug test.

She said: “It’s very important for you to understand that for 10 years this medicine was not on WADA’s banned list and I had been legally taking the medicine for the past 10 years,” Sharapova said at the press conference. “But on January 1 the rules had changed and meldonium became a prohibited substance, which I had not known.”

She added: “I have to take full responsibility for it,” it’s my body, and I’m responsible for what I put into it.”

On her suspension, She said: ” I did not intentionally violate the anti-doping rules, I cannot accept an unfairly harsh two-year suspension. The tribunal, whose members were selected by the ITF, agreed that I did not do anything intentionally wrong, yet they seek to keep me from playing tennis for two years. I will immediately appeal the suspension portion of this ruling to CAS, the Court of Arbitration for Sport.”

The Court of Arbitration for Sport announced that her punishment would be reduced to 15 months, in 2016. She was later allowed to return to international competition in April 2017.

Maria Sharapova Net Worth

Maria Sharapova: Retirement

She started facing defeats in her career. She called off the 2019 season due to injuries. In 2020, she failed to defend her fourth-round position at the Aussie Open.

Her last professional match of her tennis career included lost to 19th seed Donna Vekic in the opening round in Melbourne. On February, Sharapova announced her retirement in an interview with Vogue.

On her retired announcement, She wrote “My path has been filled with valleys and detours, but the views from its peak were incredible. After 28 years and five Grand Slam titles, though, I’m ready to scale another mountain — to compete on a different type of terrain.”

Maria Sharapova: Endorsement

She had multiple endorsement deals with top brands such as Nike, Avon, Evian, TAG Heuer, Porsche and Tiffany & Co. Since Sharapova had failed a drug test, sponsors like TAG Heuer and Porsche suspended their contract with her.

Sponsors such as Nike, Evian and the racket manufacturer maintained their relationships with Sharapova.

Maria Sharapova Net Worth

Maria Sharapova: Business Interest

She launched Sugarpova candy line with Jeff Rubin, the founder of IT’SUGAR. She also participated in charity work by donating her sales to the Maria Sharapova Foundation.

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She talks about her business interest. It started when she was a little girl in Russia, and her dad would reward her with a lollipop or chocolate after a long day of practice,” she wrote on the Sugarpova website. “It stood out to me then — and still today — that there’s no reason why hard work can’t be rewarded with a little sweet treat. Because the key to a happy, healthy life for me is this idea of Moderation in Moderation — you can 100% have your cake (or candy) and enjoy it, too.”

Maria Sharapova: Personal Life

Maria Sharapova has been in a relationship with businessman Alexander Gilkes since 2018. At the end of 2020, Maria announced her engagement with Gilkes. She announced her pregnancy in 2022. She welcomed baby boy and announced it on July 15 through social media.

Maria Sharapova: Real Estate

In October 2020 Maria bought a five-acre estate in Summerland, California which coasted her $8.6 million.

The Final Words

To conclude the article, we hope you enjoyed reading this article. We tried our best to keep you update with all the latest information regarding, Maria Sharapova and her Net Worth.

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As we have mentioned above, Maria Sharapova is a Russian former world No. 1 tennis player who has a net-worth of $180 million.

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