logo
Maria Sharapova launches new business venture as former Wimbledon champion's net worth hits £130million

Maria Sharapova launches new business venture as former Wimbledon champion's net worth hits £130million

The Sun3 hours ago
MARIA SHARAPOVA has launched a new business venture - selling furniture.
It is not the former Wimbledon champion's first foray into the field, either.
2
2
In 2021, a year after retiring from tennis, Sharapova released the Maria Collection, a line of furniture for Rove Concepts.
This time around she has produced designs suitable for the modern home office.
Sharapova moved into business after hanging up her racket and she has felt inspired to mix things up in order to get rid of boring boardroom furniture.
She told Architectural Digest: "I thought that this could be the modern boardroom.
"I've been in several boardrooms since I retired five years ago, and I wouldn't say they're the prettiest things."
She added: "In all the things that I did outside of the sport, people were initially like, 'Does she have permission to do that?'"
Sharapova's business ventures have allowed her to build a net worth of £130million.
She recently placed her mansion, which boasts an indoor bowling alley, up for sale for £18.5million.
The Russian called time on her career at the age of 32 in 2020 after winning five Grand Slams.
Sharapova retired a shadow of the player she was since returned from her drugs ban for meldonium in April 2017.
Maria Sharapova in tears and swears as tennis legend struggles with spicy sauce on Hot Ones
The doping suspension understandably damaged her reputation and brand, and she dropped to 373rd in the world.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Minnesota sues TikTok, alleging it preys on young people with addictive algorithms
Minnesota sues TikTok, alleging it preys on young people with addictive algorithms

The Independent

time21 minutes ago

  • The Independent

Minnesota sues TikTok, alleging it preys on young people with addictive algorithms

Minnesota on Tuesday joined a wave of states suing TikTok, alleging the social media giant preys on young people with addictive algorithms that trap them into becoming compulsive consumers of its short videos. 'This isn't about free speech. I'm sure they're gonna holler that," Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said at a news conference. "It's actually about deception, manipulation, misrepresentation. This is about a company knowing the dangers, and the dangerous effects of its product, but making and taking no steps to mitigate those harms or inform users of the risks.' The lawsuit, filed in state court, alleges that TikTok is violating Minnesota laws against deceptive trade practices and consumer fraud. It follows a flurry of lawsuits filed by more than a dozen states last year alleging the popular short-form video app is designed to be addictive to kids and harms their mental health. Minnesota's case brings the total to about 24 states, Ellison's office said. Many of the earlier lawsuits stemmed from a nationwide investigation into TikTok launched in 2022 by a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general from 14 states into the effects of TikTok on young users' mental health. Ellison, a Democrat, said Minnesota waited while it did its own investigation. Sean Padden, a middle-school health teacher in the Roseville Area school district, joined Ellison, saying he has witnessed a correlation between increased TikTok use and an 'irrefutable spike in student mental health issues,' including depression, anxiety, anger, lowered self-esteem and a decrease in attention spans as they seek out the quick gratification that its short videos offer. The lawsuit comes while President Donald Trump is still trying to broker a deal to bring the social media platform, which is owned by China's ByteDance, under American ownership over concerns about the data security of its 170 million American users. While Trump campaigned on banning TikTok, he also gained more than 15 million followers on the platform since he started sharing videos on it. No matter who ultimately owns TikTok, Ellison said, it must comply with the law. TikTok disputed Minnesota's allegations. 'This lawsuit is based on misleading and inaccurate claims that fail to recognize the robust safety measures TikTok has voluntarily implemented to support the well-being of our community," company spokesperson Nathaniel Brown said in a statement. "Teen accounts on TikTok come with 50+ features and settings designed to help young people safely express themselves, discover and learn. "Through our Family Pairing tool, parents can view or customize 20+ content and privacy settings, including screen time, content filters, and our time away feature to pause a teen's access to our app,' Brown added. Minnesota is seeking a declaration that TikTok's practices are deceptive, unfair or unconscionable under state law, a permanent injunction against those practices, and up to $25,000 for each instance in which a Minnesota child has accessed TikTok. Ellison wouldn't put a total on that but said, 'it's a lot.' He estimated that 'hundreds of thousands of Minnesota kids' have TikTok on their devices. 'We're not trying to shut them down, but we are insisting that they clean up their act,' Ellison said. 'There are legitimate uses of products like TikTok. But like all things, they have to be used properly and safely.' Minnesota is also among dozens of U.S. states that have sued Meta Platforms for allegedly building features into Instagram and Facebook that addict people. The messaging service Snapchat and the gaming platform Roblox are also facing lawsuits by some other states alleging harm to kids.

Exclusive: Toms Capital seeks CSX meeting after buying stake, sources say
Exclusive: Toms Capital seeks CSX meeting after buying stake, sources say

Reuters

time21 minutes ago

  • Reuters

Exclusive: Toms Capital seeks CSX meeting after buying stake, sources say

NEW YORK, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Hedge fund Toms Capital Investment Management requested to meet with the board at CSX(CSX.O), opens new tab after recently buying a stake in the U.S. railroad operator, people familiar with the matter said, raising speculation the firm may push for a possible merger. Run by Benjamin Pass, Toms Capital invested in the railroad during the second quarter as Union Pacific (UNP.N), opens new tab was hammering out the finishing details of its $71.5 billion acquisition of Norfolk Southern (NSC.N), opens new tab that was announced last month. Since news of that deal, which would be the largest ever buyout in the U.S. railroad sector, speculation has been mounting that more big mergers are likely to follow, especially as the Trump administration eases antitrust concerns. CSX said it is open to all ways to boost the stock price for shareholders. "We've said it before and we'll say it again: CSX welcomes all opportunities for us to enhance value for our shareholders. CSX appreciates the input of its shareholders and engages regularly with them as it executes on its goals to drive value through profitable growth and industry-leading customer service," a company spokesman said. Toms Capital held 5.6 million shares of common stock in CSX as of June 30, a new filing showed. Unlike some activist investors, the hedge fund prefers to stay in the background and push for changes out of the limelight, rather than launching public and noisy campaigns. Co-founder Pass, however, has a history of pushing for mergers at companies like U.S. Steel and Band-Aid and Tylenol maker, Kenvue (KVUE.N), opens new tab. A representative for Toms Capital declined to comment. Also on Tuesday, Ancora Holdings, another activist fund, urged CSX to announce plans to pursue a merger of its own or risk facing a board fight with the firm, according to a letter sent CSX's independent board members and seen by Reuters. Ancora, which last year won board seats at Norfolk Southern in a bitter proxy fight, also took aim at CSX CEO Joe Hinrichs, blaming him for "anemic shareholder returns", poor personnel selection and "disastrous operational performance." "Shareholders cannot afford more missteps as CSX plays catch-up in the rail consolidation race," the letter said. Ancoraalso established a position in CSX during the second quarter and has been considering more purchases, a person familiar with the firm's trading patterns said. A spokesman for Ancora declined to comment. CSX is no stranger to activist investors and previously worked with investor Mantle Ridge, whose founder Paul Hilal, now serves on the CSX board. CSX, which has a market value of $68 billion, saw its stock gain roughly 1.5% on Tuesday and it has climbed 13.5% this year. CSX is currently the largest railroad in the eastern U.S., operating over 20,000 miles (32,200 km) of track in 26 U.S. states, plus Washington D.C. and two Canadian provinces. Investors have said CSX needs to find a partner of its own now, raising the possibility of potential talks with other railways, including its West Coast peer BNSF. Owned by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (BRKa.N), opens new tab, a merger of the two would create a $200 billion coast-to-coast rail network and mark the most significant consolidation in the sector in decades. The Union Pacific deal, which values Norfolk Southern at $85 billion after its debt is factored in, if approved by regulators, would create the first coast-to-coast freight rail network with approximately 50,000 miles of track across 43 states. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick indicated early support for consolidation, saying in an interview with CNBC on Tuesday that U.S. railway travel needs to be more efficient. 'Whether that should be through a merger or in any other way, I'll leave that to the regulators and the overseers,' Lutnick said. 'But the concept of making it more efficient to get across the country is obviously something that we applaud. How to get there, I don't know.'

Nasdaq, S&P end lower as Jackson Hole jitters hit tech stocks
Nasdaq, S&P end lower as Jackson Hole jitters hit tech stocks

Reuters

time21 minutes ago

  • Reuters

Nasdaq, S&P end lower as Jackson Hole jitters hit tech stocks

Aug 19 (Reuters) - The Nasdaq and S&P 500 dipped on Tuesday driven by tech stocks, as investors gear up for what Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell will say about the path of interest rates at a key conference later in the week. The Nasdaq fell as megacaps Nvidia (NVDA.O), opens new tab, Microsoft (MSFT.O), opens new tab and Meta Platforms (META.O), opens new tab lost, after having rallied for much of the year. The key event this week is the Fed's annual symposium at Jackson Hole, Wyoming, from Aug. 21-23, where Powell's comments will be scrutinized for any clues on the central bank's outlook on the economy and monetary policy. "It seems like folks are hedging a little going into Jackson Hole, thinking Powell might be more hawkish than markets currently appreciate," said James Cox, managing partner at Harris Financial Group. Interest rate futures point to a total of two rate cuts this year worth 25 basis points each, with the first expected in September, according to data compiled by LSEG. According to preliminary data, the S&P 500 (.SPX), opens new tab lost 37.62 points, or 0.58%, to end at 6,411.53 points, while the Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC), opens new tab lost 313.83 points, or 1.45%, to 21,315.95. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI), opens new tab rose 10.82 points, or 0.02%, to 44,922.64. Steve Sosnick, chief strategist at Interactive Brokers, said some investors are taking some profits from tech stocks and rotating into other sectors. "(This move) spills into the broader market because of those stocks' weight in major indices," he added. Some market participants also expressed some concerns about AI-related stocks after OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman said they are in a bubble in an interview with "The Verge" late last week. Still, the real estate (.SPLRCR), opens new tab sector of the S&P 500 rose, helped by better-than-expected housing data. A Reuters poll showed on Tuesday that the S&P 500 will end 2025 just below current near-record levels, at 6,300 points, reflecting tempered optimism amid ongoing concerns over the economic impact of President Donald Trump's global tariffs and uncertainty surrounding Fed rate cuts. The blue-chip Dow briefly hit a record high on Tuesday, aided by a rise in Home Depot's shares after the retailer kept its annual forecasts intact. Home Depot (HD.N), opens new tab rose despite missing quarterly results estimates, while rival home-improvement chain Lowe's (LOW.N), opens new tab also gained. Earnings from Lowe's and big-box retailers Walmart (WMT.N), opens new tab and Target (TGT.N), opens new tab later this week are now in focus as investors await more insight on the health of the American consumer. "Consumers are still not really spending at full speed ahead, they're a little bit cautious," said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at Spartan Capital Securities. "They're waiting to see the full results of the tariffs' impact on the upcoming holiday sales in a couple of months from now." Intel (INTC.O), opens new tab jumped after the chipmaker got a $2 billion capital injection from Japan's SoftBank Group (9984.T), opens new tab. Palo Alto Networks (PANW.O), opens new tab rose after the cybersecurity company forecast fiscal 2026 revenue and profit above estimates. Medtronic (MDT.N), opens new tab lost, after the company said it would add two new directors to its board after Elliott Investment Management took a large stake in the medical-device maker.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store