Sports Fanatic

Just updating this blog with recent news about Maria. Got this article from a russian online mag through my google feeds.

Tennis superstar Maria Sharapova has retained the status of Russia's richest athlete with an income of $24 million in 2009, the Finans business magazine said.

According to a Finans ranking published on Friday, Sharapova's earnings dropped by $1.5 million against 2008. She earned just $900,000 from tennis tournaments this year, with the remainder coming from commercial sponsorship deals.

The former world No. 1 finished the season ranked 14th, her lowest yearend position since 2003, having come back from almost a year out with injury problems that saw her fall out of the top 100.

Following Maria would be Andrei Kirilenko, the only Russian in the NBA,with $15.1 million, ice hockey star Alexander Ovechki, with earnings estimated at $12 million, and Russian national football team captain Andrei Arshavin came fourth in the Finans' ranking with $11.25 million.