Maria Sharapova has signed on as an endorser of Head rackets.

Its player portfolio currently already includes Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Robin Soderling – the world's number three, four and five ranked player on the ATP World Tour.

Johan Eliasch, CEO of HEAD N.V.:”We are proud to have Maria on board with so many other great tennis athletes like Novak, Andy and Robin. She definitely helps us build a much stronger women's team together with Victoria Azarenka and Svetlana Kuznetsova.”

Together, Sharipova and HEAD are now developing a new racquet to help her get back to top position in the WTA ranking. “I am excited to be in the HEAD Team and looking forward to this partnership. With my new HEAD weapon I am confident to regain a spot among the Top 10 again soon”, she explains her decision for HEAD.

The partnership includes, next to the high-performance tour racquet
line, a range of junior and kid's racquets, accessories, and tennis
bags. Sharapova will be closely involved in the development and design
of these products, which will be launched in Retail in fall of 2011 and
supported by a Retail and Digital Marketing Communication campaign.

At the age of 23, Sharapova is a tennis icon on court, an impressively dedicated athlete, and the idol of many young female players. She is also a fashion icon representing style on and off the court. In 2010, she was elected Favorite WTA Singles Player, as well as Most Fashionable On Court and Most Fashionable Off Court Player in the WTA Fan Favourite Voting Awards.

In 2004, at age of 17, she won her first Grand Slam Title at Wimbledon beating top seed Serena Williams in the final. She has claimed two more Grand Slam titles at the US Open 2006 and the Australian Open 2008. In four separate occasions the WTA had ranked her World No. 1 in singles before serious shoulder problems in October 2008 have been forcing her out of the game for nearly ten months. Off-court, Sharapova has been featured in a number of modelling assignments �€“ including a feature in the famous Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue �€“ and picked as face of many fashion houses.

When she came back in May 2009 she was ranked No. 126 due to her extensive lay-off. But since this comeback she could win three more titles �€“ bringing her to a career total of 22 �€“ and recovered her ranking to World No.18 again.