NEW YORK, NY, April 11, 2014 - IMG Tennis, a division of the global sports, fashion and media company, IMG Worldwide, announced today a new global partnership deal for its client Maria Sharapova with Supergoop!, the first prestige skincare line solely dedicated to a healthy approach to broad spectrum sun protection. In addition to signing on as Supergoop’s brand ambassador, Sharapova will become a co-owner of the company with Founder and CEO Holly Thaggard.

Sharapova’s decision to personally invest in Supergoop! supports her ongoing agenda of expanding her business platform, which already includes Sugarpova, a highly successful line of premium gummies, launched in 2012.

‘’I couldn’t be more excited about my partnering with Supergoop!, a brand I trust to protect my face and body from sun damage. I am a huge fan of the products and my belief in Supergoop’s commitment to offering innovative and smart sunscreen solutions for people of all ages is what’s made me want to invest in the company and help with its long term growth,’’ said four-time Grand Slam Champion Sharapova.

Launched in 2007 by suncare industry veteran Thaggard, Supergoop! is committed to formulating skincare without controversial ingredient choices. Each solution is infused with vitamins and antioxidants, and free of parabens, oxybenzone, fragrances, and propylene glycol, delivering a safe and effective SPF as the best defense against UV damage. Supergoop! products are available at retailers such as Sephora, Nordstrom, Space NK, andAmazon.com, among many others.

“Skin cancer is diagnosed more frequently than all of the leading cancers combined, yet it's primarily preventable. To date, there has not been a broad reaching voice for UV education and we’ve finally found our megaphone in Maria,” said Thaggard. “Maria is the ideal choice to own and champion this position and we value her as our ambassador of ‘suncare as skincare’.”

A former World No.1 and only one of six women in the Open Era to have won all four Grand Slam titles, Sharapova has been ranked by Forbes magazine as the highest paid female athlete in the world for a record nine years. Supergoop! joins Sharapova’s family of partners which include Nike, Porsche, Evian, TAG Heuer, Samsung, Head and Cole Haan.

In the last twelve months, IMG Tennis has signed a number of partners for its clients including global deals with Peugeot and Seiko (Novak Djokovic); Delta Airlines (Kei Nishikori); Crown Hotels and Doing Li Energy (Li Na); Longines, Peugeot and Thomas Sabo (Sabine Lisicki); Banc de Sabadell and Peugeot for the ATP event in Barcelona and Claro and Itau for the Rio Open, among many others.