Tennis player Maria Sharapova is racing to try to change her name to match her brand of sweets Sugarpova for the two weeks of the US Open on Monday, according to reports in the UK media.
Part of the plan is understood to involve the Sugarpova symbol, a pair of red lips, appearing on the world No 3's clothing during the tournament.
Sharapova spent $US500,000 ($548,000) setting up Sugarpova, a brand featuring brightly coloured sweets with such flavours as Smitten Sour, Quirky and Sporty.
Sharapova smiles at a launch of her new candy brand 'Sugarpova' in London before this year's Wimbledon. Photo: AFPThe tennis star's foray into the candy business has not been universally welcomed, with criticism of the way Sharapova was using her fame on court to sell sweets to young fans. In Britain, the National Obesity Forum accused Sharapova of being "irresponsible" for promoting unhealthy eating and failing to identify the difference between snacking and excessive consumption.
Sharapova has now asked about a "quickie" name change through the Supreme Court of Florida, where she has a base, London's The Times reported. Her name would revert to Sharapova after the US Open. Permission of the tennis grand slam committee may be necessary.
If Sharapova succeeds she will be following the example of NBA basketball player Ron Artest, who changed his name to Metta World Peace in September 2011. In that case the change had no time limit and was done "to inspire and bring youth together all around the world", World Peace explained.
According to Forbes, Sharapova was the highest-paid female athlete in the world during the year to June, earning $US29 million. Her wealth came from prize money, endorsements and appearance fees.
Sugarpova expected to sell 1.5 million bags of sweets in its first year at $US5 to $US6 a bag. Sharapova hopes to expand into areas such as fashion, accessories and make-up.
Sharapova recently sacked her coach, former tennis great Jimmy Connors, after just one
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