Maria Sharapova Net Worth

Maria Sharapova has been the world’s best-paid female athlete for over a decade. Her net worth has continued to climb over the years and the tennis star has shown no signs of stopping. That is, until recently when Sharapova tested positive for a banned substance. Her $23 million a year earnings are about to be put on hold as many sponsors are beginning to drop the tennis player. How will the positive drug test results affect the star’s net worth?

Sharapova tested positive for meldonium which, she says, she was unaware was on the banned substance list. However, she has taken full responsibility for what has happened. She said that she did not read the updated list and meldonium was something she was prescribed and has been taking for practically 10 years.

As a result of the positive drug test, she has been suspended by the International Tennis Federation. She is also losing some key deals. Nike, which has worked with the tennis player for over 11 years, has put their dealings with Sharapova on hold. The company says it plans to monitor the situation and determine whether it will continue its contract with Sharapova after decisions with the ITF have been made. Tag Heuer, another sponsor, said that it has no intention of continuing its contract with Sharapova.

The Nike deal alone is said to be worth close to $45 million. Her sponsorship deals make Sharapova most of her money. Her winnings alone are only worth about $28 million. Her sponsorships are worth $142 million, making her worth a whopping approximate $168 million. Without her sponsorships (or her winnings if she is permanently suspended from the ITF), she won’t be making any money at all.

Her net worth currently sits at $125 million. Although her tennis career has been a success, it has been spotty due to a chronic shoulder condition. However, if this positive drug test result puts a hit on her deal with Nike as well as her overall tennis career, she won’t likely be seen in the spotlight again.

Will she be banned? The answer to this question is more complicated than it is for most athlete drug test results. Usually, if an athlete tests positive for a drug, they are kicked out of the league, however, Sharapova’s case is a bit different.

Meldonium was not added to the banned drug list until January of this year. Sharapova simply said that she did not open the email and review the changes that had been made to the list. When she was drug tested, she was unaware that a drug she’d been taking for over a decade would turn up as a positive on the drug test. Usually, a positive drug test result would be an immediate dismissal, however, because Sharapova was prescribed the medication and she claims to have been unaware of the changes, there may be hope.

Tennis player and model Maria Sharapova has taken full responsibility for the mishap though, which will likely play in her favor. If things go well, she will continue to play the game that has been a huge part of her life and will also continue some of those key contracts for her career. She said she does not wish to end her career this way and, hopefully, she will be able to continue sitting at that pretty $125 million net worth.

Photo: Flickr: Vale Alemanno