The sponsors who paid Novak Djokovic $30m (€26.4m) last year (according to Forbes estimates) remained silent after the world’s top-ranked male tennis player was kicked out of the Australian Open.
Highlights
- Raiffeisen Bank International told Forbes that the Austria-based bank would continue to sponsor Djokovic: “This RBI sponsorship decision was made well before current information about Novak Djokovic and his Covid-19 vaccination status, or his participation in the Open. Australia”.
- Swiss watchmaker Hublot also supported Djokovic, telling The Associated Press on Friday: “Novak Djokovic is his own person. We cannot comment on any of his personal decisions. Hublot will continue its partnership with the world number 1 in tennis”.
- French clothing company Lacoste is the only sponsor of Djokovic to cast doubt on its partnership with the athlete, as a Lacoste spokesperson said on Monday that the company would contact Djokovic and “review the events that accompanied his presence in Australia,” according to CNN.
- Djokovic’s other sponsors – Asics, Head, Lemero, NetJets, Peugeot et Ultimate Software Group — did not respond to Forbes’ request for comment and have not publicly commented on the matter as of Tuesday.
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Key Context
On Saturday, an Australian federal court upheld the government’s decision to revoke the visa Djokovic needed to enter the country for the Australian Open, ending a two-week standoff between him and the Australian government regarding the validity of his medical exemption for the Covid-19 vaccine. If not vaccinated, Djokovic will face further problems for the remaining three Grand Slam tournaments. France’s sports ministry said on Monday that athletes would not be exempt from the country’s strict vaccination requirements, which would put Djokovic at risk of missing Roland Garros in May. Organizers of the Wimbledon Championships which begin in June have been unwilling to guarantee Djokovic’s participation, although England will allow unvaccinated visitors with a negative test and quarantine, while Djokovic will face the obligation U.S. vaccination for all travelers, which offers limited exemptions, ahead of the U.S. Open in August.
Important figure
$8.18 million (7.2 million euros). This is the amount of prize money that the professional tennis player would lose if he could not participate in the four Grand Slam tournaments in 2022. The singles winners of the Australian Open 2022 will win $2.06 million ( 1.8 million euros), while the winners of Roland-Garros, Wimbledon and the United States Open 2021 earned respectively 1.69 million (1.49 million euros), 1.93 million (1.7 million euros) and 2.5 million dollars (2.2 million euros). Djokovic earned $34.5m (€30.4m) last year, making him the 46thth highest paid athlete in the world, according to Forbes.
Tangent
Djokovic isn’t the only top athlete to voice his skepticism about the vaccine. Indeed, an analysis by Forbes in December found that 13 of the 50 athletes on Forbes’ “Highest-Paid Athletes” list, including Djokovic, did not publicly indicate they were vaccinated against Covid-19. . There are few instances where vaccination status impacts referrals, but Wisconsin healthcare provider Prevea Health terminated its contract with National Football League star Aaron Rodgers last fall after he the latter disseminated misinformation about Covid-19 vaccines.
Article translated from Forbes US – Author: Derek Saul
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