NEW YORK — Reigning Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova is a budding style icon, but she has yet to attend a fashion show.
“I have gotten many invites and I always want to attend shows when I am in New York, but I have tennis,” Sharapova said in a phone interview from Miami, where she was preparing for a photo shoot. “I prefer to concentrate on my game.”
On the cusp of a notable birthday — Sharapova turns 18 on April 19 — she took some time out to talk about tennis and fashion as she prepares for her next big match, the French Open, which begins on May 23 in Paris. In honor of her birthday, Sharapova will be feted Saturday night at a party hosted by Motorola, one of her many sponsors, at the Hiro Ballroom in Manhattan featuring a performance by rock band Maroon 5.
Celebrations aside, though, Sharapova has only one thing on her mind: tennis. While most 17-year-olds are busy pondering what to wear to school and the finer points of the SATs, she’s focused on her goal to become the number-one female tennis player in the world. Sharapova, even as a teen, shows a keen awareness of her athletic skills and abilities as well as where she needs to improve her game. She recently suffered a professional setback, losing the Nasdaq-100 Open finals on April 2 in an upset to Belgium’s Kim Clijsters.
“I am still very young, and as time goes by, I am trying to become better and faster and stronger,” Sharapova said. “My game is evolving and I have become a more experienced player than I was a year ago, even six months ago. I learn a lot from winning and from losing.”
For Sharapova, turning 18 is hardly a time for reflection.
“I guess it’s a really big age and I am going to be a year older, and I feel good about turning 18,” she said. “But everyone supposedly matures. With my job, I have had to be mature and responsible, and my birthday is really going to be just another day.”
The Siberian native, who moved to the U.S. at age seven to attend tennis training camp in Florida, took the sports world by storm last July when she defeated Serena Williams at Wimbledon to become the second-youngest woman to win the illustrious tournament. Since then, she has become a marketer’s dream, with her cover girl looks, long blonde hair, willowy silhouette and on-court style.
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Sharapova quickly has become a broad cultural figure and has endorsement contracts with a diverse range of companies, including Tag Heuer, Motorola, Nike, Prince, Canon, Speedminton, Pepsi Japan and Honda Japan. Under a licensing deal with Parlux Fragrances, Maria Sharapova the perfume will launch in September.
“It’s been a whirlwind since Wimbeldon,” said Sharapova with a giggle. “I have become associated with so many companies and have had the opportunity to meet amazing people in different industries. It’s fun to be recognized, and I feel like I have so many fans and supporters now. It’s definitely been an adjustment, but it’s something that comes with winning, I guess.”
Julie Cordua, marketing director for mobile devices at Motorola, said her company contacted Sharapova after watching her pick up her cell phone to make a call right after her Wimbledon win, and the phone didn’t work. Motorola subsequently sent her one of its phones, and the relationship began.
“She personifies our brand and has been great to work with,” said Cordua. “She is young, dynamic, hardworking and cutting edge, and she travels the world.”
Sharapova is scheduled to appear in ads and marketing materials for the brand in coming months, and in honor of her 18th birthday, the company is presenting her with a gift of its new stylish upscale phone, the PEBL.
Sharapova often has been likened to Anna Kournikova, but these days, the comparison is becoming less mentioned in the media and Sharapova refuses to even discuss the petulant player in interviews. Unlike Kournikova, who never won a WTA championship and now spends her nights in clubs canoodling with Enrique Iglesias, Sharapova focuses on her game and already has won her first Grand Slam event. She is also part of a new wave of Russian women tennis players that includes Anastasia Myskina and Vera Zvonareva, who have made serious inroads in recent years.
But when it comes to style on the court, Sharapova prefers to play in dresses rather than skirts and tops like many other female competitors.
“I have always wanted to be different in my own way, both on and off the court,” she said. “Now, there are so many ways to be creative. You don’t have to wear ugly uniforms and I think dresses are classier and more elegant.”
Sharapova works closely with Nike to develop her court looks, and often sports stylish and athletic dresses in bold hues such as pink, yellow and silver. For the upcoming Wimbledon tournament in June, Sharapova said she has “something special” planned, but all she will reveal is that it will be white with some “hints of gold,” since there are dress restrictions at Wimbledon.
Sharapova’s favorite designer off the court is Marc Jacobs, although she has a vast wardrobe and is open-minded when it comes to finding new designers. She tries to hit stores such as Scoop when she is in New York, and since she is often on the road, she shops stores internationally. Her favorite piece now is a pair of buckled cowboy boots that she picked up recently while playing in Australia.
“Lately, I have become a big fan of vintage pieces,” she said. “Before, you had to go to little boutiques to find them, but now, they are more available and I am really into those looks.”
While many female athletes lately have been criticized for being too racy — the beach volleyball players’ skimpy outfits at the Summer Olympic Games, for example, or Serena’s denim and motorcycle looks at last year’s U.S. Open — Sharapova doesn’t judge.
“I like seeing female athletes express their own style,” she said.
And her endorsement deals are only the beginning of what will likely be a long career in this business.
“I definitely want to do something in fashion when I am done with tennis,” she noted. “I have many ideas, but I am not sure what I will do yet.”