British teenage tennis star Emma Raducanu is on track to become the UK’s highest-paid sportswoman this year, experts say, after her stunning run to the US Open final.
The 18-year-old will earn $1.2m (£864,810) for reaching the final, which is four times the $303,000 she has earned during her entire career so far.
But marketing experts say she is set to make millions more, with lucrative endorsements and deals on the horizon.
Tennis players dominate the richest sportswomen rankings. The nine highest paid female athletes in the world are all tennis players, according to Forbes business magazine, suggesting there is substantial scope for Raducanu, who already has a shoe and clothing sponsorship contract with Nike.
There are “plenty of deals Emma could make with big brands”, Simon Chadwick from the Emlyon Business School told BBC 5 live’s Wake Up To Money programme. “There’s so much potential on where Emma could go commercially.”
Raducanu is currently managed by Max Eisenbud, vice-president of tennis at entertainment business IMG. He previously managed former world number one Maria Sharapova, who was the world’s highest-paid female athlete for 11 years running.
He said that there was “definitely a space for Emma” when compared with other female tennis players at the moment.
‘Marketing dream’
Nigel Currie, a sponsorship and marketing consultant, said that with Serena Williams coming to the end of her career, it was “perfect timing” and a “fantastic opportunity” for Raducanu.
“She’s a marketing dream, really, so the advertisers and sponsors will be queuing up.”
Along with the Nike deal, she also has a racquet sponsorship with Wilson. For an unranked player, Mr Currie said, two deals were typical, but the next round of deals she negotiates will be “absolutely huge, with Nike and Adidas fighting over her”.
Raducanu’s fame in fashion is also rocketing, with a feature in October’s Vogue issue.
Her total earnings stand at $37.4m (£27.2m) according to Forbes, and Osaka broke Maria Sharapova’s 2015 record for the most money ever earned by a female athlete in a year. Osaka is 28th in the world’s highest-earning athletes, including male players.
Following Osaka’s back-to-back Grand Slam titles in 2018 and 2019, Nike paid about $10m (£7.2m) to take her from Adidas and she now has a total of 15 company sponsors.
‘Inspiring young image’
Sports industry lawyer Trevor Watkins from Pinsent Masons said that “ultimately, having a strong team around her will reflect the measure of success going forward”.
“The power of the personality to drive value is a huge factor for her, but the difficult thing will be ensuring she makes the right choices.”
“Brands aren’t going to pay a million dollars without commitments back, but she’ll be able to pick and choose who she wants to associate with now.”
Roger Federer is the richest tennis player in the world, coming in as the seventh richest athlete for 2021. He has an estimated net worth of $450m (£324.3m).
Raducanu is currently ranked 150th in the world and will become the British number one on Monday. (BBC)
•PHOTO: Tennis prodigy Emma Raducanu
