‘I won Wimbledon at 17 then made unusual £8k purchase with prize money’

Maria Sharapova became a household name when she won Wimbledon as a teenager.

Maria Sharapova won her first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in 2004 (Image: Getty)

Maria Sharapova announced herself at Wimbledon in 2004 when, aged 17, she stunned Serena Williams to lift her first Major title. The Russian teenager became an immediate sensation, and went on to reach No. 1 in the world, winning four more Grand Slam titles before her retirement in 2020. Now officially a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, Sharapova still has fond memories of that breakthrough Wimbledon title run 22 years ago.

And it’s not just the tennis, the victory or the trophy she remembers. Now aged 39, Sharapova has recalled the unusual first purchase she made after banking £560,500 in prize money – and it’s something she still has to this day.

Speaking to Mellody Hobson on an episode of her own podcast, Pretty Tough, the retired Russian star said: “The first big purchase I made after I got my really big cheque after winning my first Grand Slam, I went to a mattress shop and I spent so much money.

“I am so embarrassed to say it! I was with my mum buying it, but I came home and my dad asked, ‘Where were you girls?’ I was like, ‘We went shopping’. He’s like, ‘What bag did you buy?’

Today, Maria Sharapova is a successful businesswoman (Image: Getty)

“‘No, we didn’t buy a bag. A mattress. Dad, it cost us $10,000’. The look on his face was priceless. But guess what? I still have the mattress!”

Sharapova might have spent just under £8k of her £560k winners’ cheque, but she banked an incredible £29,270,963 ($38,777,962) during her career, making her the seventh-highest earner in WTA history, based on prize money alone.

Only Serena Williams, Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Venus Williams, Simona Halep, and Victoria Azarenka have earned more than the five-time Major champion. Sharapova also raked in money through off-court deals and, according to Forbes, was the highest-paid female athlete in the world for 11 straight years.

Sharapova had lucrative deals with the likes of Nike, Prince and Porsche, to name a few, and was one of the first tennis players to build a personal brand. Today, the 39-year-old is a businesswoman and has a successful confectionary brand, Sugarpova. According to Forbes, she has a net worth of £166million ($220million).

When she was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2025, the Russian thanked her long-time agent, Max Eisenbud, who has also worked with Emma Raducanu. “You played a role far more significant than what’s written on your resume. You were my shield, the ultimate punching bag, the one who unapologetically said ‘no’ on my behalf over and over again,” Sharapova told him.

Reflecting on her own career, she added: “My journey was a winding one, complete with the highest of highs, the lowest of lows, and all the uncertain ground in between. Believe it or not, there’s no playbook on how to navigate those twists and turns – on how to be great for the long haul. But if there’s one single quality that can guide you to greatness in the absence of that playbook, I believe it’s grit.”

Maria Sharapova became a household name when she won Wimbledon as a teenager.

You may like

‘We Played Golf With Donald Trump - This is What He Does to Gain an Unfair Advantage’

30 years on: The night that meant the world to Clinton Woods

United Cup draw: Gauff, Noskova, Chwalinska headline 2027 field

Roger Federer still holds tennis record from 2005 that could stand forever