Maria Sharapova inks sponsorship deal with Samsung – Tennis News
World number two, Maria Sharapova, has signed a three year sponsorship deal with communication giants, Samsung Electronics Co.
The Russian superstar is already the highest-paid female athlete in the world of sports. According to the Forbes Magazine, the blonde receives $25 million a year as endorsement money. She has already signed sponsorship contracts
with some of the leading brands including Nike Inc. (NKE), Tag Heuer, Tiffany & Co. (TIF) and Danone SA (BN)’s Evian water.
Sharapova’s agent at IMG Worldwide, Max Eisenbud, informed to the media that this latest deal covers the tennis star’s native country, Russia, and the Commonwealth of Independent States. The contract says that Sharapova will endorse
Samsung products including mobile phones, tablet computers and television sets. There are chances that this deal will go global next year.
Eisenbud said, “Maria really hasn’t been marketed that much in Russia. It’s important to her because that’s where her roots are. I also felt that was a really untapped market, with the 2014 Sochi Olympics coming up.”
Sharapova, who was born in Siberia, moved from Sochi, a Russian City on the Black Sea coast, to USA at the age of seven years.
She retained her Russian nationality, gaining worldwide fame by winning the Wimbledon Championships in 2004. Sharapova’s successes continued and she went on to capture the 2006 US Open and 2008 Australian Open titles.
Her achievements on the tennis court combined with her attractive looks and she became one of the best options for all the leading companies, becoming world’s highest-paid female athlete.
This deal is Sharapova’s third with a mobile phone company. She previously had agreements with Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. (MMI) and Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications Ltd. Her contract with Sony expired at the end of 2011.
Eisenbud added, “Maria had a positive experience, and a positive four years with Sony Ericsson. Now we are just looking forward to a new partnership with a great brand.”
The 24-year-old, Sharapova, is world’s second best player at the moment. She was the runner-up at two of the last three Grand Slams, including Wimbledon Championships and the Australian Open.
Tags: