Wednesday began with terrible, horrible, no good news for Maria Sharapova.
The world’s highest-paid female athlete from 2004-15 was banned from tennis for two years, retroactive to January 26th, 2016, because of her failed drug test at the Australian Open in January.
Sharapova immediately announced via Facebook that she would be appealing the suspension, citing the fact that the International Tennis Foundation found in its investigation that she did not intentionally attempt to take a banned substance for the purpose of enhancing her on-court performance.
Maria Sharapova Suspended then Unsuspended
According to Kurt Badenhausen of Forbes, Sharapova’s suspension from tennis and the effects it could have on her endorsements could cost her dearly. Forbes estimated that the missed revenue for Sharapova could total as much as $50 million, not counting her legal fees incurred as a result of these proceedings.
The fact that in the opinion of the ITF, Sharapova did not intentionally take the banned substance meldonium, worked in her favor sooner than expected.
Just a few hours later, Sharapova got some good news. Nike, which provides Sharapova with a huge chunk of her endorsement money, announced that it was lifting the suspension placed on her endorsement deal based on the findings that her use of meldonium was unintentional.
The racquet producer Head, which also has an endorsement deal with Sharapova, chimed in more heavily on her behalf. Head’s statement called the ITF’s ban flawed and expressed the hope that the suspension would be overturned upon appeal.
While that was some good news for Sharapova, the bottom line is still troublesome for her. If her suspension is upheld, she will miss out on potential millions in winnings. Her endorsement contracts will also suffer, as they contain language that requires her to make a certain number of appearances in Women’s Tennis Association events in order to guarantee the full amounts of the contracts.
While Sharapova can still play in non-WTA events and collect appearances fees, the revenue from those events pales in comparison to potential winnings in WTA events. Additionally, if the suspension is upheld, she would be 31 years old in January of 2018. That’s an age at which many tennis stars are past their primes.
If the suspension is upheld, Sharapova will undoubtedly look back on Wednesday as one of the worst days of her life.
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