Sweet Surprise: Tennis Star Asks to Change Name to Sugarpova

Maria Sharapova, the tennis star who wields the highest brand power in the industry, is planning to pull another publicity stunt ahead of the US Open.  The former number one has made an appeal to Florida’s Supreme Court to change her name to Maria SUGARPOVA during the course of the competition, on condition that she can revert back to her real name once the tennis event is over.

Sugarpova is the brand name of the tennis star’s range of brightly colored sweets with catchy names such as Sporty and Smitten Sour.  The brand was started by the 26 year old with an initial layout of $300,000 and features a pair of hot lips as its logo.  Sharapova will be wearing a brightly colored outfit when she plays at Flushing Meadow from August 26th, with her attire bearing the hot lips logo.

Thanks in part to the almost 2 million bags of Sugarpova that were sold over the course of the past year, Sharapova’s personal fortune is now estimated to be worth $15 million.

The Grand Slam committee still needs to give its final approval of the tennis player being called Ms. Sugarpova during the tournament, but if it does, the move is expected to push sales of the sweets to a record high. The US Open is one of the most popular events on the tennis calendar and is watched by millions around the world.  Punters also spend millions wagering on the outcome each year.

In other Sharapova related news, it was confirmed that the young Russian has split from her coach, the legendary Jimmy Connors.  The pair lasted only one match together, before Sharapova announced the split, saying: “It’s not the right fit for this time in my career.”   Sharapova – or Sugarpova as she may be known – will therefore enter the US Open without a coach.