Emma Raducanu made it onto the list of the Most Marketable Athletes of 2023, alongside six other tennis players. The 20-year-old British tennis sensation had a year plagued by injuries, which forced her to take a break since April 2023. She decided to undergo wrist surgeries to regain her form and consistency. Despite Raducanu’s extended absence from the game, she continues to be one of the most profitable tennis players with significant earnings from endorsements.
This week, SportsPro released its list of the 50 most marketable athletes, with footballer Lionel Messi taking the top spot, followed by basketball star LeBron James and footballer Alex Morgan. The 2021 US Open champion has fallen from the 12th spot to the 21st, making her the fifth-ranked tennis player on the list. However, she remains behind other tennis players:
Although none of them are in the top 10 most marketable athletes, they outrank Raducanu: Novak Djokovic (11th), Coco Gauff (12th), Naomi Osaka (14th), and Aryna Sabalenka (18th). Additionally, Rafael Nadal is at 41st, and Ons Jabeur is at 50th. Currently, the date of Raducanu’s return is unknown, although she is confirmed to play in an exhibition in December against the Olympic champion Belinda Bencic.
Recently, her agent Max Eisenbud commented on Raducanu’s endorsements, despite her being away from the courts: “If you are looking at the Emma Raducanu situation or any of those players who have been thrust into the thing.
“Our job is to educate them on what is available to them. In Emma’s situation we could have done 100 deals. She could be doing deals and deals and deals. They left millions and millions on the table. They strategically took the best brands with the most limited time, who understood it would be a rocky road.”
“None of her sponsors have ever rung up and said ‘oh my god, I can’t believe she’s not winning’. No one. I know people want to say ‘oh she’s got the pressure’. The pressure she has is she won a great tournament and she wants that feeling again and wants to keep winning,” he added.
“I don’t think she’s waking up and thinking ‘HSBC is mad’. Sponsors are supportive through injury. I know people want the narrative that the ‘big, bad IMG’ are bringing in all this money. We are a pretty well established company and we’re not living and dying on a commission for Emma Raducanu,” concluded.
Novak Djokovic, Coco Gauff, Naomi Osaka, Aryna Sabalenka, Emma Raducanu, Rafa Nadal, Petra Kvitova, & Ons Jabeur made the top 50 list of most marketable athletes.
11. Djokovic
12. Gauff
14. Osaka
18. Sabalenka
21. Raducanu
41. Nadal
43. Kvitova
50. JabeurThe Sports Pro Most… pic.twitter.com/hzlPRoeUNv
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) October 19, 2023
