Bloomberg Screentime
Maria Sharapova Wrote the Book for Champion Entrepreneurs
The tennis star became a global sensation at 17. Two decades later, she’s built a sprawling business around her personal brand.
Maria Sharapova during the Wimbledon tennis championships in 2008.
Photographer: Suzanne Plunkett
Maria Sharapova has an approach that’s served her well.
The winner of five Grand Slam tournaments, she’s also an architect of the modern athlete’s business playbook. What was radical when she was killing it on the court has now become conventional wisdom: Don’t wait until you’re done playing to figure out how to make a living afterwards.