Maria Sharapova learned to play tennis in her hometown of Sochi. And now she’s making a homecoming in a big, big way. Tennis champion Maria Sharapova, winner of four Grand Slam singles crowns and a silver medal for Russia in women’s singles at the 2012 London Olympics, will join NBC Olympics for its Winter Games coverage in Sochi, Russia, it was announced today. NBC announced their whole roster, which also includes Nancy Kerrigan, Bob Costas, Rebecca Lowe, Al Michaels, Nastia Liukin, Tara Lipinski and Cris Collinsworth in addition to Sharapova.
Sharapova, the flag bearer for her native Russia at the 2012 London Olympics Opening Ceremony, will serve as a correspondent on Russia’s first Winter Olympics. And on what is So even though she made Olympic mark in the Summer games, she will be making her media mark in the winter games.
I know it sounds weird doesn’t it, having a Summer Olympics personality as a Winter Olympics media personality. But Sharapova isn’t the only one. There’s Liukin too.
“Maria Sharapova transcends sports as one of the world’s most recognizable stars,” said Jim Bell, Executive Producer of NBC Olympics. “Growing up in Sochi until she was six years old and with family and friends still living in the area, Maria will offer a unique and personal perspective on a place she knows so well.”
Currently the fourth-ranked women’s tennis player in the world, Maria Sharapova is one of 10 women to achieve a “Career Grand Slam” winning singles titles at Wimbledon (2004), U.S. Open (2006), Australian Open (2008) and French Open (2012). She has won 29 Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) singles titles, appeared in eight Grand Slam finals, and held the No. 1 World ranking five times. In June 2011, Sharapova was recognized as one of the “30 Legends of Women’s Tennis: Past, Present and Future” by Time magazine.
Sharapova is also a huge megabrand, with numerous multi-million dollar endorsements. From 2005-2011, Maria Sharapova was annually named one of the 100 most powerful celebrities in Forbes’ “Celebrity 100.”
The olympics begin FEB. 6, 2014. Looking forward to seeing Sharapova, but then again I’m always looking forward to seeing Sharapova
Paul M. Banks is the owner of The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports. He’s also an analyst for multiple news talk radio stations across the nation; with regular weekly segments on NBC and Fox Sports Radio. Catch him talking Chicago Bears every Friday on WAOR, Illini and Northwestern for KOZN every Tuesday. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks) and RSS