Sharapova and Sony Ericsson in a love match

The stunning and talented Russian, who turns 21 in April this year, will undertake a series of innovative new consumer brand campaigns specifically designed to engage Sony Ericsson's core target audiences and to utilise Maria away from the tennis court.

Sharapova said, “It is really exciting to be working with a cool brand like Sony Ericsson which has such a strong reputation in the entertainment industry.

“Even though most people know me as a tennis player, I have so many passions beyond the sport like fashion, music, film and design; which Sony Ericsson and I are going to be exploring together through our partnership.”

Sharapova will also be working with Sony Ericsson's design team on a range of products and accessories.

The off-court agreement complements Sony Ericsson's six year $88 million global title sponsorship of the WTA Tour which was signed in January 2005 and is the biggest deal in the history of women's sport. Sony Ericsson's commitment to women's tennis has energised the game by bringing fans closer to the experience and taking the sport to new audiences through cutting-edge initiatives like night tennis – a fusion of tennis, fashion, music and dance.

Commenting on this announcement, Dee Dutta, Corporate Vice President and Head of Marketing at Sony Ericsson, said: “Now in our seventh year as a company, the brand has evolved significantly and securing a global brand ambassador is a natural progression to take our brand to the next level in an increasingly competitive market place.

“Our alignment with Maria's global iconic status, combined with our brand expertise and innovative thinking aims to provide something new and something different to our customers around the world.”