The bizarre move by the 26-year-old Russian is reportedly to gain more exposure for and promote her own brand of confectionery called Sugarpova and would see her wearing clothes and apparel with the company's logo of a bright pair of red lips.

Sharapova, who won the women's singles title at Flushing Meadows in 2006, has made an enquiry to the Supreme Court of Florida, where she resides, to have her name changed for the two-week duration of the tournament, through her management firm International Management Group (IMG).

While it appears that there is no legal obstacle to the temporary name change, the move would still need to be ratified by the Grand Slam Committee in order for her to be referred to as "Ms Sugarpova" during the Championships.

Sharapova, who is one of only six players in Women's Tennis Association (WTA) history to have won all four Grand Slam tournaments - Wimbledon, US Open, French Open and Australian Open –, launched her confectionery brand last year and proceeds of sales go to the Maria Sharapova Foundation which aims to support children in Chernobyl.

Maria Sharapova wants to be known as Maria Sugarpova during the US Open in New York
























It is estimated that around 1.8 million bags of Sugarpova sweets were sold worldwide last year.

Earlier this month, Forbes magazine rated her as the richest female athlete in the world with career earnings of £18.9 million ($29 million/€22 million), the vast majority of which comes from business interests and endorsements outside of the tennis court.