Dominic Thiem, Alexander Zverev or Daniil Medvédev -all three in their twenties- are called to be the tennis stars of the future. However, the thirty-somethings Rafael Nadal (winner of Roland Garros and the 2019 US Open), Roger Federer (winner of Wimbledon 2019) and Novak Djokovic, who has revalidated this year’s victory at the 2019 Australian Open, are not letting go. The legendary trio has not only led the ATP podium for years, but sports brands, specifically Lacoste, Uniqlo and Nike; they raffle them off (and steal them).
Novak Djokovic, from Uniqlo to Lacoste
Novak Djokovic, Lacoste. Photo: EFE
The green polo shirt Djokovic wore during the Australian grand slam can be had for 100 euros, but it costs Lacoste $30 million a year to sponsor the Serb. The new number one in the world was passed in 2017 from the Japanese Zara, Uniqlo, to Lacoste, a historic French brand in the world of tennis. A move that went beyond economics: Djokovic received better sponsorship offers from companies like Nike or Adidas, however, he decided on the French firm because he did not want to share a brand with other great tennis figures.
This Lacoste marketing strategy has not only cost him 30 million dollars, but has also drawn criticism, such as that of the French tennis player Alize Cornet, who left Lacoste for Lotto and criticized the excessive support of the French company for the tennis player. Serbian.
Roger Federer, from Nike to Uniqlo
Roger Federer of Uniqlo. Photo: Reuters
The tennis player with the highest number of grand slams, one above Nadal and three more than Djokovic, was 36 years old when he broke, in 2018, 24 years of sponsorship with Nike, to go with Uniqlo. And he did it, according to the American press, for about 30 million dollars a year and for 10 years. That is to say, the Swiss athlete will add 300 million dollars when he is 46 years old, the age at which he intuits he will not be playing tennis professionally.
“I am hugely committed to tennis and winning tournaments. But, like Uniqlo, I have a great love for life, culture and humanity. We share a passion for creating a positive impact on the world around us and I am looking forward to that we combine our creative efforts for it”, assured the tennis player.
Rafael Nadal, always Nike
Rafael Nadal of Nike. Photo: Reuters
The third of this trio is the Spanish tennis player, who has maintained his alliance with the American sports giant for years. An alliance that has a lot to do with the image of Rafael Nadal, always associated with effort, commitment and work. The tennis player is a reflection of the revenue from sponsorships “long-term and consistent”, explains Carlos Cantó, CEO of SPSG Consulting and author of the Sports Sponsorship Barometer 2018, because “for many years four brands have always been in the top positions” . It is about Nike, Kia or Mapfre.
Facebook Comments
Disqus