Earlier this year, tennis champions Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner triumphed in Melbourne at the Australian Open. Nine months later, repeated twicethe Belarusian and the Italian win the US Open in New York. What do Sabalenka and Sinner have in common? They are both sponsored by Nike. With the departure of American Serena Williams (23 Grand Slam titles) and the gradual withdrawal of Spaniard Rafael Nadal (22 trophies), two Nike legends, we thought that the Beaverton (Oregon) firm would have difficulty renewing its herd of champions. This is not the case.
In addition to Sabalenka and Sinner, Nike has signed another big star, the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz. In June and July, “Carlito”, 21, triumphed successively at Roland-Garros and then at Wimbledon. In men’s tennis, Nike has therefore achieved the Grand Slam this year. And if we add Sabalenka’s performances to those of Sinner and Alcaraz, the brand with the famous Swoosh has won no less than six trophies… while its rival adidas has won none. 6-0 for Nike!
The German brand with the three stripes has bet on the wrong horses: the German Alexander Zverev, the Canadian Félix Auger-Aliassime, the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas. These tennis players are not without talent. But for the moment, they have not won any Grand Slam tournament. Fortunately, there is women’s tennis. Adidas is a partner of the Spanish Garbine Muguruza, winner of two major tournaments and the German Angelique Kerber (three victories). Problem, their trophies date from… the end of the 2010s.
Adidas sponsors another champion, American Jessica Pegula. Last Saturday, the player reached the final of the US Open where she lost to Sabalenka. Previously, she had never made it past the quarter-finals. Why? “Because she is not hungry enough, not thirsty enough for victories”the pseudo experts of the yellow ball estimated a little hastily. World number six, Pegula is a tennis player of a rather special kind. She comes from a wealthy background – one could even say extremely wealthy. Her father Terrence, who made his fortune in shale gas, is at the head of a fortune of around 7 billion dollars. Via her father, Jessica would therefore be richer than the Swiss Roger Federer, the first tennis player to become a billionaire.
This fortune could have been a parasite for the American. But that didn’t happen. According to her entourage, “Jessy” does not live in ostentatious luxury, does not travel by private jet and leads the “normal” life of a tennis champion. In New York, she broke her glass ceiling by beating the Polish Iga Swiatek, world number one, in the quarter-finals. Now the little rich girl has to climb the next level. The one that would allow her to win a final and write her name on the list of winners of a Grand Slam tournament. Adidas believes in it.
