COMMENTARY | With one final win, Novak Djokovic completed his defensive masterpiece, a 4-set victory over defending champion Rafael Nadal, to take the 2011 U.S. Open. As he celebrated, he was no doubt joined in spirit and enthusiasm by Sergio Tacchini, the Italian company whose logos adorned his hat and shirt. The company took a chance on Djokovic two years ago and has now gotten to see its representative celebrate winning three of the four major tournaments of tennis this year.
While it may seem like Sergio Tacchini is emerging from obscurity, the company was actually a leading contender in the world of tennis throughout the ’70s and ’80s, along with fellow Italy-based Fila. The tide turned sharply in the ’90s, however, as Nike and Adidas moved into the territory and snapped up most of the talent. Nike in particular made tennis in the United States synonymous with the rivalry between their two signees, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, through a series of memorable commercials.
Tacchini’s re-emergence was made possible, interestingly enough, by Adidas. Djokovic had initially been signed to that brand, but when his contract was up in 2009, Adidas declined to extend the relationship. The company instead poured its resources into Andy Murray, currently ranked fourth in the world. The German-based powerhouse probably can’t complain too much about the Brit’s overall performance.
Murray and Djokovic were the only two players to make the semifinals of all four majors this year, solidifying the perception that the ATP tour is controlled by the performances of four individuals: Murray, Djokovic, Nadal and Roger Federer. But it must sting Adidas more than a little to see Djokovic with a 2011 record of 64-2 and guaranteed to finish the season ranked #1, knowing that it could have been their logo the world sees on news programs and magazine covers.
With more people watching the U.S. Open than ever before, such exposure becomes far more valuable than it would have been 20 years ago, or even five years ago. As such, companies are becoming aware there is no reason to let Nike and Adidas carve up the draws between them from top to bottom. Landing a young talent who could be flying under the radar of the two big companies and their subsidiaries reaps tremendous benefits once that player is seen by millions battling for hours in a high-stakes tennis match. The lesson to be learned from Djokovic is that small companies can certainly land big talents, as long as they know when and where to look.
Sergio Tacchini was not alone in gaining visibility at the Open. While Nike and Adidas were still largely represented, their dominance was not as thorough as it was in recent years. There were eight brands represented by at least one player in the men’s round of 16: Nike, Adidas, Tacchini, Fila, Joma, Lacoste, K-Swiss and Lotto. Earlier rounds also featured players wearing apparel from Under Armour and Yonex.
Other draws featured further evidence of market competition. Women’s doubles champion Lisa Raymond is currently endorsed by New Jersey-based Prince Sports, previously known more for providing rackets than apparel. Chinese companies such as Li-Ning, Erke and Anta have also pushed to sponsor more tennis players competing at the major level, largely in correlation with the rise in success of Chinese players.
The only major sports apparel brand that appeared to be absent from the Open was Puma, a company with a long and storied rivalry with Adidas. It wasn’t that long ago that Puma did have a presence in Flushing Meadows. In the late ’90s, when the big companies were vying over the young and rising Venus Williams, Puma managed to lock in her younger sister Serena instead.
When Serena then had the most dominant period of her career from 2002 to 2003, she did so with the Puma logo above her heart. The peak of the Puma-Serena relationship came in the 2002 U.S. Open, when Serena famously stormed her way to the title wearing a black lycra “catsuit.” The outfit sparked as much publicity as her powerful performance, and Puma in 2002 probably felt much like Sergio Tacchini in 2011.
Alas for Puma, Serena became a “free agent” sooner rather than later. And Nike decided it wasn’t going to let her fall to a rival a second time, signing her at the end of 2003 to the most lucrative endorsement deal a female athlete ever signed.
Puma hasn’t appeared to aggressively pursue tennis players since, but obviously it could learn a lot from both its past and what Sergio Tacchini has benefited from this year. The world of tennis player endorsements has gotten wider and deeper, and it could certainly behoove any company to gain traction in a sport achieving higher levels of viewership.
Companies are fighting for what is a somewhat limited resource: not just the world-class players themselves, but the court and TV time along with them. There are risks involved if too much money is spent on the players who don’t make it to the finish line, but the potential reward is a lot higher: your representative bearing your logo while hoisting the championship trophy.