Current World Number 1 Caroline Wozniacki is once again the centre of speculation, but this time it isn’t concerned with whether or not she deserves the top spot.
Currently, all her critics are wondering about her choice of racquet for the new year, 2011. While her change of gear is not yet confirmed – she may stick to her old sponsor,
Babolat – it is very likely that the 20-year-old player will be seen with new weapons in the next year.
The young tennis pro, known as “Sunshine” Wozniacki, has been playing with
Babolat frames since her debut in 2005. However, Wozniacki’s contractual agreement with
Babolat will expire at the end of this month, leaving her free to pick a different sponsor or renew her contract with the French racquet company. There are rumours that she may switch to a different brand. These were further promoted when she was seen
at last month’s exhibition match playing against Victoria Azarenka with a racquet which seemed to be a Yonex frame with the logo blacked out.
Babolat is popular for their racquets and strings, and they are easily recognised because of the identifiable double lines which cross the strings of the racquet’s face. The racquet frame is also distinctive, and Caroline Wozniacki had been using
the Babolat Aeropro Drive GT Racquet.
Yonex, meanwhile, is long known for having a history of promoting and sponsoring some of the most talented, glamorous women players in the tennis world. Previous tennis players who have signed with
Babolat include Ana Ivanovic, Elena Dementieva, Anna Kournikova and Maria Kirilenko. Caroline Wozniacki, one of the most good-looking tennis players on the Women’s Tennis Association, would certainly be following the trend. However, her agent has already
issued a statement saying Babolat is still running in order to sponsor the Danish player, and that no deal of any kind has been confirmed yet.
When asked about the rumours, Wozniacki’s coach John Tobias also seemed to be reluctant to give away too much information. He says, “Yes, it is true that Caroline should try a new racket, but she still has the ability to return to the old, if it does not
work. It is clear that there is good economy in it. One can require considerably more as the world number one.” It is obvious that negotiations to support the new World Number 1 of women’s tennis are underway, and it is only a matter of time before
Babolat announces the renewal of their contract, or Yonex comes out as the new sponsor of the top player on the WTA.
In addition to this, if Wozniacki does sign a contract with Yonex (or any other tennis racquet company) she will be the highest ranked player in recent history to switch racquet brand just in time for a new season. The last player to do this was World Number
3 Novak Djokovic, who switched to Head from Wilson a number of years ago.
Along with Babolat, Caroline “Sunshine” Wozniacki also has a contract with
Adidas. Last year in 2009, she was named as the global face for the sports company’s Stella McCartney line for tennis.
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