BERLIN/LONDON — Swiss watchmaker TAG Heuer said on Tuesday it was severing ties with Maria Sharapova as the world's highest-paid female athlete started to count the cost of a failed drug test and likely ban from tennis.
Sports firm Nike and German luxury car maker Porsche also said they were suspending their relationship with the five-times Grand Slam champion as the 28-year-old Russian until a decision is taken on banning her.
The failed drug test at January's Australian Open, one of four annual Grand Slam events, will be costly for her at a time when sports bodies and sponsors are taking a tough line following a series of corruption and doping scandals.