Special Feature: Six Updates from the World of Tennis - Part II
The second instalment of this two-part series will give the reader information about Rafael Nadal’s new endorsement deal with Armani, Kim Clijsters' defeat of Justine Henin and Valerie Tetreault’s early retirement:
Rafael Nadal is the new face of Armani jeans and underwear
World Number 1 Rafael Nadal will follow in the footsteps of soccer superstars David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo where endorsements are concerned. The 24 year old player has been picked as the new face of Emporio Armani Underwear and Armani Jeans. Tennis
players have been prominently shown in underwear ads before. Swedish legend Bjorn Borg once had his own brand in his home country, whereas Patrick Rafter represents Australian underwear company Bonds down under.
The Spaniard is reputed to have earned at least 21 million dollars in the past year, receiving the money as prize for his career runs and multiple sponsorships. He has signed major contracts with a car company, an insurance company, sports company Nike and
racquet company Babolat. This deal may boost up profits for Armani, as they went down by 28 percent in 2009.
Kim Clijsters defeats Justine Henin in exhibition match
US Open champion Kim Clijsters defeated her rival Justine Henin 6-1, 2-6, 10-5 in an exhibition match at Antwerp. Henin has not been able to play in pro matches since she sustained an elbow injury at the All England Club, but she seems to be recovering well.
The 28 year old player says, “I have stopped telling myself the last weeks that I am getting old, I prefer to think that I am getting more mature. I think that if on the health level everything goes as planned, there is still a lot of potential for me. I have
regained some freshness in the last two weeks…For sure; I’m still not 100 percent. But I realize where I came from; I am lucky and happy to be where I am now." Although, the match was won by Clijsters, Henin put up an impressive performance. It must be kept
in mind that she is still not in top form.
As stated in the first instalment of this two-part series, the two Women’s Tennis Association players are also considering the idea of teaming up to play at the 2012 Olympics in London. Clijsters said about their potential partnership, “Obviously for the
Olympics, it would be beautiful.”
Canadian pro Valerie Tetreault retires at the age of 22
Canadian Women’s Tennis Association pro Valerie Tetreault recently announced her retirement from the tennis circuit. She is only 22 years old, and made her debut as a professional player in 2005. She has only spent four and a half years playing tennis as
a pro. Valerie Tetreault reached her career’s highest ranking this February when she climbed up the WTA rankings' ladder to make to World Number 112. However, she seemed to lose both interest and inspiration in the second half of the season; she no longer
played with fervour or dedication. She said, during the announcement of her retirement, that she was interested in studying communications.
She seems to have been somewhat intimidated by the inconsistency and ups and downs of life as a tennis player, saying, “I've spent the last month thinking about my future. It's a difficult decision to make—undoubtedly the biggest one of my life. My passion
for my sport remains the same, but I want to take on new challenges while maintaining a more stable life.”
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