Episode 13: Maria Sharapova

In this episode, Rich talks to Maria Sharapova, a former tennis world #1, and champion of each of the sport’s four Grand Slam events. During her career, she won nearly $40 million in prize money, while also building the foundation for sustainable wealth through savvy endorsement choices, visionary equity deals, and tireless hard work. In 2020, when Forbes Magazine listed the top 10 highest-paid female athletes, nine of them were current tennis pros. This is in part a legacy of the business road map Sharapova paved. But you don’t need to be a tennis pro to benefit from her insights. In 2010, a Harvard Business School course “Maria Sharapova: Marketing a Champion” examined the strategy of “Team Sharapova.” And on this podcast, the former tennis star talks openly about the tough transition to the US after emigrating from Russia as a child, how winning Wimbledon changed the trajectory of her off-court business, and how she evaluates potential brand partners.