"If you don't like the attention, don't win": When Maria Sharapova was unfazed by popularity boost as she ranked beside Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears

Maria Sharapova once ranked as the third most popular search term on Yahoo!, trailing only music icons Jennifer Lopez and Britney Spears. However, the Russian remained unfazed in the face of the overwhelming attention on her.

Sharapova was catapulted to super stardom at just 17 years of age when she stunned the tennis world by pulling off a remarkable 6-1, 6-4 upset over two-time defending champion Serena Williams in the 2004 Wimbledon final. Becoming only the second Russian woman to win a Major singles title, she also broke into the WTA top 10 for the first time in her career.

Riding the wave of popularity following her maiden Grand Slam win, Maria Sharapova embarked on a media tour in the United States. Despite the pressure of appearing on national television, the then-17-year-old maintained her composure. In a 2004 interview with Sports Illustrated, her agent Max Eisenbud revealed that they had been "preparing" for such moments for years.

"We've been preparing for this for years. We did Craig Kilborn's show last year, and the thinking was that if you mess up on that, who knows about it?" Eisenbud said.

Sharapova's interviews were such a success that Eisenbud was immediately inundated with a flurry of requests for her to appear on other shows. The Russian's agent humorously remarked that the same shows may have initially doubted her ability to speak English.

"They probably saw her name and figured she didn't speak English," he said.

Maria Sharapova's rise in popularity, evidenced by her becoming the most searched term on Yahoo! after Jennifer Lopez and Britney Spears, was set to earn her $10 million in endorsements that year. However, the Russian took the immense attention in stride, asserting that if one didn't want to be in the spotlight, they shouldn't win.

"It's simple. If you don't like the attention, don't win," Sharapova said.

"Maria Sharapova could've made $20 million more" - Agent Max Eisenbud on Russian's 'crazy' endorsement deals

During an appearance on the Served with Andy Roddick podcast in 2024, Maria Sharapova's agent Max Eisenbud opened up about emulating golf legend Tiger Woods' strategy and devoting only 16 days out of the year to the Russian's endorsement commitments.

Eisenbud admitted that the five-time Grand Slam champion could have potentially earned an additional $20 million by dedicating more time to her brand deals, but emphasized their unwillingness to compromise her tennis career.

"Basically, we figured out that we have sixteen days a year that would not interrupt her becoming a great tennis player. She could've made $20 million more if we added four or five days more, but we stayed true," Eisenbud said.

Eisenbud also credited the former World No. 1's father Yuri for not pressuring her to spend more time on her brand deals.

"I think you'll see after she [Maria Sharapova] won, she had crazy amount of deals but she kept winning. She won the [Year-end] championships that year [2004, she was Top 5, she won her second Grand Slam at the US Open [2006]. So, that strategy, credit to Yuri because he could've easily said, 'I want more!', credit to Maria buying in," he added.

Maria Sharapova has an estimated net worth of $180 million, even ranking as Forbes' highest-paid female athlete in the world for 11 consecutive years. The Russian's lucrative endorsement portfolio features top brands like Tag Heuer, Nike, Tiffany, Pepsi and Porsche, among others.