Maria Sharapova and Eugenie Bouchard -- who will meet in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open on Tuesday -- head an "alternate rankings list based on their lucrative
collections of endorsement contracts," according to Barry Flatman of the LONDON TIMES. Sharapova, "the present queen," recognizes Bouchard as the "biggest threat to her
continued dominance in this respect." Should Bouchard start "winning their duels on the court at
grand-slam events, it is sure to have an effect on their relative marketing
values off the court." Sharapova is estimated to have been worth $150M in '14, but according to Ottawa-based magazine People with Money, Bouchard is "catching up fast," with a net worth of $96M. Bouchard has boosted her worth with "stock investments and substantial property
holdings, as well as lucrative endorsement deals." Her prize money from
tennis represents a "small part
of her financial portfolio."
By virtue of their age gap and because Sharapova has won 34 titles compared
with Bouchard's one, the Russian's career earnings stand at $195M. The "natural inclination is to see Bouchard as Sharapova's ultimate successor,
but there was an aversion to that theory, too." Sharapova said, "I was compared to [Anna]
Kournikova for many years in my career, and still occasionally the name
comes up in interviews and articles. That's just part of
the game, part of the business" (LONDON TIMES, 1/26).