In the five years since I played my last professional tennis match, women’s sports have enjoyed an unprecedented surge in mainstream recognition and investment. Today, female athletes are commanding attention and respect on par with their male counterparts. And crucially, the money is beginning to follow.
As the dynamics within the sports world shift, so too is the surrounding business ecosystem. Female athletes are forging more relationships with brands, and new companies are investing across the women’s sports landscape. This is, unequivocally, a positive development for female athletes, brands and consumers alike.
I am a walking testament to the impact such collaborations can have on an individual athlete. The brand partnerships I cultivated over the years were among the most transformative aspects of my journey as a professional athlete, not only because they helped me feel whole as a person during my playing days, but also because they set the stage for my career in business and entrepreneurship that has followed.
I was still a teenager when I gained wider public attention after winning my first Grand Slam in 2004. When endorsement deals began to present themselves, my first instinct was to collect the biggest pay cheque available; I came from humble beginnings, and my family had invested a lot into my tennis career, so I felt compelled to capitalise on the moment.
But I quickly learned that the right deal isn’t always the biggest one. Shortly after I won Wimbledon, Motorola approached my team with an opportunity to become the face of the brand. Though the company offered less money upfront than other brands, my team recognised the value of a campaign that authentically showcased my character via the now-famous story of when I tried — unsuccessfully — to call my mom from the court after that first Grand Slam victory.
At the time, I didn’t fully realise how pivotal that deal would be, but in hindsight, it was a defining moment of my business career. The partnership offered me massive visibility from both Motorola’s marketing power and the organic alignment between their product launch and my own rise in the public eye.
From that point forward, my team and I focused on which deals would provide the most long-term value. Evaluating where the real potential for growth was — a brand with momentum, strong marketing backing or opportunities in different markets — proved pivotal to building the best partnerships possible.
This also sparked my desire to develop that business acumen for myself. My manager, Max, began involving me more in brand meetings and, soon enough, I found myself sitting alongside executives in boardrooms as they exchanged numbers, strategies and jargon that admittedly flew right over my head. Over time, though, I grew more comfortable asking questions and contributing to these conversations. As I absorbed more information, I slowly began to chip away at the complexities of the business world and discover a passion for entrepreneurship.
All the while, sustained success in tennis remained my number one priority. I was acutely aware that becoming a champion was the reason I had any business interests in the first place, and I knew that maintaining my winning mindset on the court enabled my continued growth in business. I often found myself reminding my brand partners of this principle; only once my tennis obligations had been attended to each day did I dive into business.
Even with limited time, I gained so much from exploring my entrepreneurial ambitions. Not only did this exercise help me feel complete as a person, but it also allowed me to discover new creative outlets and explore other passion areas beyond tennis. I was also able to build a network across a variety of business sectors and forge relationships with the people behind my brand partnerships, many of whom I’m still in contact with to this day.
By the time I was ready to hang up my racket, I had built a solid foundation from which to launch my career as an investor and entrepreneur. Retiring from professional sports is notoriously difficult, and while nothing could ever truly replace or replicate the elite athlete experience, having a business background to lean into certainly helped ease my transition away from tennis.
It doesn’t hurt that many of the attributes crucial to success in the boardroom are central to the anatomy of any accomplished athlete. Just like in sports, business demands persistence, patience, and resilience. Both successful athletes and strong business minds regularly navigate setbacks, provide and receive constructive criticism, lead with objectivity in making difficult decisions and celebrate small victories en route to larger accomplishments.
All of these traits guided my growth as a businesswoman. Before I knew it, I was investing in and advising several well-known companies including Sugargoop, Bala Bangles, Tonal, Therabody, Public.com, and Cofertility. I also joined the board of Moncler and, more recently, became the wellness ambassador for Aman Hotels.
My transition from the court to the boardroom felt like a natural one, which made it particularly confounding to me that more companies weren’t actively empowering female athletes to break into the business world. While the athlete-to-entrepreneur pipeline is well-established, women have historically had limited access to business opportunities when compared to their male counterparts.
Only in recent years, as women’s sports have gained momentum, have female athletes begun to receive the kind of brand and investment opportunities that have long been afforded to male stars. Basketball star Candace Parker was named the president of Adidas’ women’s basketball division; Olympic runner Allyson Felix founded her own sneaker label and women’s sports management firm; Simone Biles launched her own athleisure line through Athleta and Serena Williams started her own venture capital fund.
Younger stars are starting to reap the benefits, too. Naomi Osaka has founded her own production company and sports agency. Caitlin Clark became the first player to launch a signature Wilson basketball since Michael Jordan. And Coco Gauff has contributed creatively to her groundbreaking partnership with New Balance, even helping to design her own signature shoe.
These shifting dynamics are encouraging, but there is still much work to be done. More companies must recognise the immense potential of women’s sports and offer female athletes the same opportunities traditionally extended to their male counterparts. By engaging female athletes in decision-making, leadership meetings and development workshops, brands do more than amplify women’s voices in sports — they create a direct pipeline for them to ascend into leadership roles across industries.
Incorporating women into positions of power is not merely a social imperative; it is a savvy and competitive business strategy. As women continue to rewrite the playbook in sports and business alike, I believe companies actively investing in the next generation of female leaders are best positioned to achieve long-term success.
Maria Sharapova is a former world number one tennis player, five-time Grand Slam champion and Olympic medallist.
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