RISING STAR EDMUND HITS NIKE JACKPOT
KYLE EDMUND has bagged a multi-million-pound deal with Nike in the biggest windfall of its kind for a British tennis player since Tim Henman — outside those of Andy Murray. The American clothing giant has placed great faith in the young Yorkshireman by embarking on a lucrative four-year agreement with the British No 3, one of only six players aged 22 or under inside the men’s top 50. Last week Edmund reached the semi-finals of the Vienna Open — an equivalent event to Wimbledon warm-up Queen’s — and yesterday beat Russian Evgeny Donskoy to make the second round of the Paris Masters. The deal comes at a time when the market for tennis endorsements is not buoyant, amid reports that Under Armour, who kit out Murray, are considering a withdrawal from the sport.
KYLE EDMUND has been Britain’s last man standing at the elite level of men’s singles tennis this year and his continued promise has brought him a bumper, multimillion-pound reward. A new four-year deal with Nike is partly recognition of the fact that the British No 3 is expected to end the year as one of only six men aged 22 or under inside the world’s top 50, and comes on the back of a global ambassadorship with Jaguar cars. The Nike deal — which will be further boosted if he fulfils the hope of making the top 20 or better — has been sealed after a solid if unspectacular year, consolidating the gains of last season while not managing to achieve a searing breakthrough. Clearly being from Wimbledon’s host nation helps, and interestingly it comes at a time when Andy Murray’s sponsor Under Armour are questioning their tennis involvement. The overall tennis market is sluggish and, according to the Wall Street Journal, Under Armour are reviewing the sports and activities they are involved with. This is believed to be connected to a plunge in their share price rather than doubts over the future of main endorsee Murray, as he battles back in the face of a degenerative hip condition. The quietly determined Edmund measures success by his ranking — currently No 50 — rather than his increasingly ample bank balance and considers this a season of frustrating near misses that he plans to address by working with two coaches in 2018. It has seen him change management companies, from IMG to StarWing Sports, and hire a combination of veteran Swede Fredrik Rosengren with former British player Mark Hilton. Both coaches have been with him at the Rolex Paris Masters, where he came back from match point down in the first round to beat Russian Evgeny Donskoy 5-7, 7-6, 6-3. Today he faces American Jack Sock. ‘I’ve found this year a bit too up and down,’ said Edmund. ‘I’ve lost quite a few close matches, probably too many. ‘I need to beat some of the better guys. It has been frustrating not to quite get the momentum going but I’ve tried to keep working away.’ The most eye-catching of those near misses was when he had break point at 2-2 in the decider against clay-court king Rafa Nadal at April’s Monte Carlo Open. Rosengren and Hilton will work in tandem next season, although rarely at the same tournament. Hilton did a remarkable job in getting Dan Evans into the top 50 before the player got banned for a positive cocaine test. Hilton’s commitment to Edmund means that he will not be back with Evans when he returns next April.