Popular WTA Players and their Endorsements: Part II
As explained in the first part of this feature, player endorsements have become an integral part of sports. These player-brand relationships are equally beneficial to both parties; the player is provided with both money and equipment,
whereas the company benefits by receiving a great deal of popularity. The first segment of this article provided insight into the contracts of Serena Williams; the second part also features another former World Number 1 and Grand Slam winner, Ana Ivanovic.
Ana Ivanovic
Former World Number 1 Ana Ivanovic is one of a handful of WTA players who ascended to the top spot without a Grand Slam title. She was subjected to a great deal of scrutiny over this, until she won the 2008 French Open by defeating
another Number 1, Dinara Safina. Currently World Number 19, Ivanovic also reached the finals of the 2008 Australian Open and the 2007 Roland Garros event.
Ivanovic’s endorsements include sports gear and athletic wear, as well as media representations such as music and video games.
The Serbian tennis pro endorsed Nike shoes and tennis apparel from the beginning of her career in 2003, when she turned pro. However, she made the decision to switch over to Adidas (Nike’s rival company) three years later in the
beginning of 2006. Ivanovic then proceeded to sign a lifetime endorsement deal with Adidas, making herself the youngest player (male or female) to sign such a binding contract. Consequently, she is guaranteed sponsorship and will become an Ambassador for Adidas
whenever her competitive career draws to an end.
As far as equipment is concerned, Ivanovic began her professional career with the use of Wilson racquets. Her last used Wilson model was the nCode nBlade. However, she switched over to Yonex equipment in the beginning of 2008.
Her first Yonex model was the RQiS 1 Tour XL 95; however, she has been using a prototype Yonex racquet since the Western and Southern Financial Group Women’s Open 2010. This prototype is an EZONE racquet, and is scheduled for release within this year. Ivanovic’s
use of the model has hyped it up considerably, generating a lot of publicity for Yonex.
A big fan of hip hop and R & B, Ivanovic was the inspiration behind the song 'Hurricane Ana'. It was was produced by her compatriots, rapper Collie Buddz and Filip Filipi. Besides this venture into media, Ivanovic has also made
an appearance in several tennis video games. She first appeared in Smash Court Tennis 3 in 2007, when it was released to the general public. The next game she was featured in was the Virtua Tennis 2009, released in that year. Nintendo Wii also features a game
with Ana Ivanovic as one of the characters. This game is called Grand Slam tennis and was also released in 2009. Later this year, Top Spin 4 and Virtua Tennis 4 are both scheduled for release; both games will feature Ana Ivanovic along with many other tennis
starts, including Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Daniela Hantuchova, Venus Williams, Lindsay Davenport and Maria Sharapova (the next player on this list).
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