Andreescu set to make millions in endorsements
U.S. Open victory gives tennis star chance to determine which brands to work with
Teen tennis phenom Bianca Andreescu won $3.85 million (U.S.) when she beat Serena Williams in the women’s final at the U.S. Open, but it’s likely that paycheque is only the beginning of milliondollar payouts from future sponsorship deals.
Being the first Canadian Grand Slam singles champion — at age 19, no less — is notable, but the real story is Andreescu’s meteoric rise, said Cary Kaplan, president of Cosmos Sports & Entertainment.
“A year ago, she didn’t exist as a tennis player of any consequence,” he said.
The week of Sept. 10, 2018, Andreescu ranked 210th in the world for singles tennis, according to The Women’s Tennis Association. This week, she’s fifth.
“A month ago, if someone was calling and offering her a million dollars, it would have been so important,” Kaplan said.
In fact, earlier this year, Andreescu signed a sponsorship deal worth about $50,000 with Copper Branch, a plantbased eatery chain with more than 50 locations mostly across Ontario and Quebec.
But with her U.S. Open victory in hand, her financial situation allows her to take her time and determine what
brands the young star wants to associate herself with.
Andrew Infantino, marketing director at Copper Branch, says the chain signed her after searching for an up-and-coming athlete from Ontario and believed a tennis player would be a good fit considering their season would be coming up in the summer.
The Copper Branch contract ends in early 2020, but the eatery hopes to extend it or sign a new one. Until it runs out, Copper Branch plans to continue using her image on menu boards and its website, but also wants to ramp up the connection between Andreescu and the chain.
It may place life-size cut-outs of the tennis star in its stores and may add an Andreescu-themed menu item, Infantino said.
Kaplan said the Mississauga teen seems to embody the Canadian identity well and that’s one of the things fans and brands likely love about her.
Some noted her quintessentially Canadian response to winning the final match when Andreescu apologized to the stadium crowd for beating Williams.
Kaplan said she will likely consider what brands best represent her image, adding Tim Hortons and Canadian Tire spring to mind as natural fits. Canada’s major grocers and even some of the country’s banks may vie for a piece of Andreescu, he said.