Army of brands want Emma, but superagent wants to take it slow
EMMA RADUCANU is one of the hottest properties in sport, and one of the brightest British global prospects in generations, with her potential career earnings being predicted to be anything from £100million to £1billion.
But is it fantasy to think the teen from Bromley may earn a 10-figure sum? Possibly not.
The Mail on Sunday has learned that her two endorsement deals to date, with sportswear giant Nike and racket supplier Wilson, are worth just £100,000 a year combined, and both are rolling one-year contracts.
Industry sources expect these either to be renewed imminently for at least 10 times as much, or be replaced by rival brands.
British sportswear firm Castore, who have deals with Andy Murray, McLaren of Formula One and the England cricket team, are keen to talk to Raducanu.
Nike are in pole position and adidas are circling.
Other brands showing interest in Raducanu include Uniqlo, Aston Martin, Chanel, Lacoste, and jewellery firm Tiffany & Co.
Raducanu wore Tiffany during her US Open win and at the glamorous Met Gala last week. A seven-figure deal to become a brand ambassador is rumoured, and insiders say endorsements worth £5m or more over the next year could be penned ‘within months’.
She is signed to talent giants IMG, whose vice-president Max Eisenbud is the superagent to some of the highest-earning sportswomen in history.
He played a key role in the commercial successes of Grand Slam winners Maria Sharapova and Li Na.
A source who knows him tells the MoS: ‘One Grand Slam title doesn’t guarantee Emma anything in terms of longevity, so IMG will play zero role in any hype. They’ll be doing the opposite.
‘Talk of billions won’t help Emma. Max will be doing what he needs to do to talk that down. You don’t make progress in this industry by talking about business. You make it by getting on with business.’ Sponsorship expert Conrad Wiacek, head of sport analysis at GlobalData, predicts: ‘Emma will have signed several deals before the Australian Open gets underway in January. There is no one like her in British tennis, with Andy Murray’s best days behind him.
Raducanu was born in Canada to a Romanian father and Chinese mother and was raised in Kent. She is already cultivating a huge following in China.
‘What is massively in her favour is the fact she is connected to the three lucrative markets in North America, Europe and Asia due to her heritage,’ adds Wiacek. ‘That sends her earnings potential off the charts.’
An MoS analysis into tournament prize money in women’s tennis indicates that if Raducanu were to have a long career at the top between now and her early 30s, she will expect to make around £150m in winnings.
The highest-paid sportswoman is currently Japan’s Naomi Osaka, who has earned £40m in endorsements in the last year.