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Op-Ed | How Female Athletes Are Shaping the Future of Business

In an op-ed for The Business of Beauty, five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova looks back on how brand partnerships shaped her career — and how the stakes have shifted for female athletes today.
A tennis player celebrates a win.
Maria Sharapova is a former world number one tennis player, five-time Grand Slam champion and Olympic medallist. (Getty Images)
By
  • Maria Sharapova

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.

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