Tennis Random, Random (On Court)

[meganfernandez]

Why would anyone expect Sharapova to send a congratulatory message to Serena?

It was a joke. I'm not sure I expect it, but they were main rivals and a lot of champions are acknowledging Serena publicly. I know, Sharapova couldn't touch Serena, but I'm pretty sure Sharapova would consider Serena an important figure in her own career. That said, I doubt Serena released a public message for Sharapova when she retired. But Serena's retirement is more of a public ceremony with a chorus of compliments from lots of players and celebrities; Sharapova's retirement wasn't. For all we know, Sharapova has sent Serena a private message.

[ti-amie]

[JazzNU]

If I recall years ago, Serena got an earful from Nike due to her play (or lack thereof) while Nike was praising Sharapova to no end even when she was struggling on court or with injury.

There was some talk late last year that Nike might drop Andreescu and that that was why she was suddenly back playing matches. Thanks for confirming that at one point Nike did expect a certain level of play from those who wore it's apparel.

Serena and Maria were never treated equally, so that's hardly surprising and it was very common for commentators and TPTB to regularly chastise the Williams sisters and never have the same level of criticism for Maria no matter how similar the situation was.

Nike does their tennis business in a very specific way. Like I said, Nick's Nike contract has never been in doubt. Sharapova kept her Nike contract throughout her entire doping suspension. Bouchard was with Nike thru like 2020 and she was hot garbage for years before that as well all know.

With lower and mid level players, performance absolutely plays a large part in who they keep and who they get rid of. Successful player and one of their marketing draws are two different things. Just because you're highly ranked (Halep, for instance) doesn't mean you're not on what amounts to a more expensive standard contract acknowledging your ranking. For players that are marketing draws, they care way less about your performance and way more about how much influence you have with their targeted customers.

Nike culled their roster about two years ago, so many got dropped. That was done for those where performance matters a great deal and inconsistent players were definitely on the chopping block. For instance, that's when Caroline Garcia and Borna Coric were dropped. But Andreescu, who has been to Oregon HQ for design meetings, does not fall into that category even a little bit. She's in the higher category. None of this is rumor, it's fact and just how Nike operates. Also, to a large extent how Adidas operates as well.

To go along with this, Emma was with Nike before she had her breakout at Wimbledon and won the US Open. She was surely on one of the standard contracts where performance matters a lot. That has obviously all changed and no matter what her ranking, she has zero chance of Nike losing interest and not upping her contract to something significant if it hasn't already happened even if she falls to 200. Her reach is significant and Nike cares little about performance when that is on the table. And that happens regularly when people hit, where if they have good traction, their performance will matter less as their profile rises.

[ponchi101]

The only exception I can recall to your story (JazzNu's) was when Nike dropped Agassi, late in his career. He was still a solid draw and a beloved player, yet they let him go and kept Pete.
But they do drop very good players when they drop in the ranking based on "appeal", and keep others simply because Madison Avenue sends in the report.
Adidas does it too. They are businesses, not charities.

[JazzNU]

The only exception I can recall to your story (JazzNu's) was when Nike dropped Agassi, late in his career. He was still a solid draw and a beloved player, yet they let him go and kept Pete.
But they do drop very good players when they drop in the ranking based on "appeal", and keep others simply because Madison Avenue sends in the report.
Adidas does it too. They are businesses, not charities.

There are definitely exceptions. And I would also guess they've evolved their strategy in how they evaluate to a large extent in the last 10 years with social media being such a significant part of the equation.

Sloane is someone who based on performance, should probably not be hanging on to her Nike sponsorship, but she hasn't just held onto it, she's one of their top players. Note the specialized Nike kits she has at every slam. Every GS comes around and I check to see if she's wearing an ordinary one and she never is. That's about her brand being very strong.

[Suliso]

Often it's obvious to me who's brand is going to be strong, but occasionally it's not...

[ponchi101]

Delpo. Never even got close to losing any of his contracts, because he is adored in Argie.
Ferrero. Lost them the moment he left the top 10 because he was liked and respected in Spain, but nothing special.
Hewitt. Lost them because, well, he was/is a jerk. Dropped in rankings, get lost.
Guga. Same as Delpo, in Brasilian.
Vika. Still with Nike/Wilson. I gather she sells a lot there (let's see how that goes with the sanctions) because her results don't justify that (unless the contract has been reworked).

[Suliso]

Who's Petra with? She's got to be fairly popular.

[ponchi101]

Kvitova has been with Nike/Wilson forever. Don't see her losing those until she retires.

[JazzNU]

Who's Petra with? She's got to be fairly popular.

She's with Nike. I know she's one of your favorites, but no, not that popular in terms of Nike, but has worked a ton in recent years with great effect to increase her sponsorship money.

If I had to guess, I'd say that despite the extremely successful Czech women's tennis program, the market for sportswear in Czech Republic may not be one that is thriving the way you'd expect it to be.

[Suliso]

If I had to guess, I'd say that despite the extremely successful Czech women's tennis program, the market for sportswear in Czech Republic may not be one that is thriving the way you'd expect it to be.

That's clear. One would have to manage to appeal more widely. 10 million Czechs alone will not make you very rich. Eight million Swiss probably won't either despite the high purchasing power here. Then again if you're Federer or Hingis everything is possible regardless of your home market.

[JazzNU]

If I had to guess, I'd say that despite the extremely successful Czech women's tennis program, the market for sportswear in Czech Republic may not be one that is thriving the way you'd expect it to be.

That's clear. One would have to manage to appeal more widely. 10 million Czechs alone will not make you very rich. Eight million Swiss probably won't either despite the high purchasing power here. Then again if you're Federer or Hingis everything is possible regardless of your home market.

Yes, it's not just about your home market. But that can play a big part to bolster you. Wozniacki and Ivanovic, for instance, are great examples of it not being about your home market but your overall appeal and reach. Ana similar to Juan Martin, has kept her Adidas contract in her retirement.

[ti-amie]

[ponchi101]

Time to say goodbye. Thankful for 22 years of fulfilling my dream daily. To all that were with me my eternal thanks, none of this would have been possible without you. One cycle ends, another one begins.

[ponchi101]

If Collins starts the 2nd week of the US Open with no clothing sponsor, somebody really has to slap her team.
I mean, I COULD market this girl. And I can't sell ice to a Bedouin.