the serbian Novak Djokovic, maximum Australian Open champion with 9 titlestouched the sky more than anyone else Melbourne, the same city from which he was recently deported after a legal battle against the government of the oceanic country.
One medical exemption, two visa revocations, two detentions in an illegal immigrant center, appeals and the definitive deportation decided by a Federal Court articulated a novel that escalated into a diplomatic conflict.
The world number 1, who arrived in Australia with the intention of breaking the record for Grand Slam titles, will not be able to participate in the tournament for not being vaccinated and failing to comply with national regulations against Covid-19.
Nole he was very well positioned to seduce sponsors, before his Australian soap opera tarnished his image. Some $30 million, is the sum that the Serbian player received from his sponsors in 2021, according to the magazine’s website Forbes, from the Japanese sports brand Asics french cars Peugeot, with clothing signature Lacoste in front of his advertising earnings, with a contract valued at 9 million dollars per year by various US media.
Their earnings from sponsors are significant, although less than those of Roger Federer (90 million), Serena Williams (40) and Naomi Osaka (55).
After arriving later at the circuit than his great rivals Federer Y Nadal, Djokovic he has not had unanimity in the appreciation of spectators and players, with his broken rackets, his constant bathroom breaks or his calls to the doctors in the course of a match.
“There is the impression that perhaps he is not as nice as Roger or Rafa”, resume Patrick Rishe, professor of sports economics at Washington University in Saint Louis (Missouri). “First of all, they have been at the top longer than Novak, and that makes them a little more special. And then, in addition to being great champions and playing great matches, your attitude is important and what you do off the track”, the former Swedish champion had affirmed Bjorn Borg to the diary Mark, in 2020, to explain the Serbian popularity deficit. “I think that Rafa and Roger have done a great promotion of tennis”, he added.
Although involved in various charities, often available, and at the origin of the creation of a players’ union (the PTPA, in 2020), Djokovic has seen an individualist label hung on him. The rejection by the Australian authorities of a request for medical exemption by the Serb, as well as the admission, by the player, of not having respected the isolation after having tested positive in December, “feed this reputation”, estimated Patrick Rishe. “This incident may prompt a brand that was perhaps planning a collaboration with him not to do so.”, he added.
“His image is going to be affected by this situation, since most of the tennis players who play this tournament have been vaccinated and have respected the rules“, full Josh Schwartz, responsible of marketing of athletes in the American agency PIVOT. “It’s a shame, as he’s close to setting the record for Grand Slam wins. (…) And normally, when someone reaches that status, you can think that this will lead to opportunities to have more sponsors. But I do not imagine that they will be presented in the short term, ”he continued.
In any case, the analyst does not see his current sponsors breaking his contract in the middle of the crisis or immediately after. “Novak Djokovic is independent. We cannot comment on their decisions,” he told the AFP a spokeswoman for the Swiss watchmaker Hublot, which began its collaboration with the player last year. “Hublot will continue its sponsorship with the tennis number one”, he added.
the austrian bank Raiffeisen was more enigmatic, recalling that his sponsorship with the 20-time Grand Slam champion dates back to “long before the information about the situation regarding Novak Djokovic’s vaccination and his participation in the Australian Open. As a sponsor, we closely follow the case”.
The risk exists that an eventual breakup turns against the brand that takes the initiative, since a not insignificant proportion of public opinion opposes the obligation to be vaccinated. “It is a complicated situation, but legally, there has been no crime,” admitted Josh Schwartz.
The previous cases of other athletes in a similar position have not greatly altered their relationship with their sponsors. At the beginning of November, after his ambiguous words about vaccination, the quarterback of the Green Bay Packers, Aaron Rodgers (American football), only lost one minor sponsor: Prevea Health. The base of the Brooklyn Nets of the NBA, Kyrie Irving, did not lose any either after having denounced, in October, the obligation to be vaccinated for athletes in the state of New York Y refused to receive a dose against COVID-19. “As consumers we have a very short memory“, he claimed Joe Favorito, sports marketing specialist at Columbia University.
The position of the Serbian 34 years is very minority: the 97% of the top 100 are vaccinated, according to the ATP. In his only statement in the case of Djokovic To date, the organization that governs the men’s circuit “continues to strongly recommend vaccination” to the players and considers it “essential” so that tennis “can exist with the pandemic”. His expulsion from Australia, approved unanimously by a federal court on Sunday, could be just the beginning of an obstacle course for Nole.
At the moment, the number one in the world has been left without being able to play on his favorite court and in addition to not having the possibility of achieving the Grand Slam record, he also jeopardizes his position in the international ranking, since two players could dethrone him if they win the contest: Daniil Medvedev (N.2) and Alexander Zverev (N.3). Undoubtedly, the problems Djokovic they will not end with their departure from the country.
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