"There is no limit in what she can achieve on the court," Tim Lopez — director at sports marketing firm CSM — told Reuters on Monday.
"If you use that as a yardstick, not just because of their career trajectory but also their shared appeal and that they are both engaging and from mixed-heritage backgrounds," he said. "That's a huge benefit from a brand perspective, from an eyeballs point of view there is no bigger market to tap into."Raducanu's rise from obscurity to having her face plastered on jumbo-sizes Times Square billboards will have the sports clothing brands vying for her signature.
Wiacek expects Raducanu's Nike sponsorship deal to be raised significantly and other endorsements will earn her about $US10 million over the next two years."With her Chinese and eastern Europe heritage, as well as Britain, that puts her in a different stratosphere to other athletes," he said. "Ultimately, the barometer for how commercially successful she will be will depend on how successful she is on the tennis court."
However, the pitfalls in professional tennis are numerous, with Osaka, another IMG athlete, struggling to cope with sudden fame and fortune.