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Maria Sharapova Is Trying to Change Her Name to Maria Sugarpova for Two Weeks

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It's been a bizarre week for Maria Sharapova stories. Less than a week after extolling the discipline that Jimmy Connors was instilling in her practice regimen, the world's no. 3-ranked women's tennis player dismissed her new coach after just one match. Now The Times (UK) is reporting that Sharapova has approached the Supreme Court of Florida to legally change her last name to "Sugarpova" -- the name of her candy company -- for the two weeks of the upcoming U.S. Open.

The Sugarpova enterprise was the subject of a recent New York Times story, which revealed that Sharapova invested an estimated $500,000 into it, and that she probably won't be eating much more of the product herself.

Photo gallery: Athletes and their candies

If all works out, Maria Sugarpova will revert back to Maria Sharapova after the tournament, which is unfortunate. One of the most amusing, random things in sports is when announcers slip up and start to say the original name of a player, such as  "Ron Art---" or, previously, "Chad John---," before correcting themselves and pronouncing that player's new name with discernible resentment. It may happen for two weeks at the Open. Enjoy it while you can.

Update: It appears as though that puckish Sharapova got us again. The Florida Supreme Court Clerk's Office states that they do not have an open case under her name (and, from the sounds of it, we weren't the first people to call and inquire on the topic today).

Update II: ESPN reports that Sharapova has "ultimately decided against" the nectarous name change.

[Times via Deadspin]