With their Golden Goose, Tiger Woods on the mend (And by that, I mean, he’s either in the Bahamas hanging out with buddies, banging Rachel Uchitel in a secret tryst in Florida, or at some sex rehab clinic in South Africa), Nike has decided to re-up with their Golden Girl, Maria Sharapova.

The contract, reportedly worth 70 million dollars locks up Sharapova for the next eight years. Oddly enough, Nike has endorsed her since she was 11 years old. How you get endorsement deals at 11 is beyond me. Then again, I’m not a leggy, smokin hot Russian blonde who can play tennis. Sorry to disappoint you.

The deal with Nike also makes Sharapova the highest paid female athlete in the world according to SportsBusiness.com

“Sharapova is one of those stars whose name transcends sports, similar to David Beckham,” said Stefan Szymanski, an economics professor at the Cass Business School in London. “She’s become an international celebrity first, and an athlete second.”

If by international celebrity, they mean guys ogle at photos of her on the internet. Then yea, she’s pretty famous.

Speaking of which, here are some recent pics of her preparing for the upcoming Australian Open.