Everyone’s an influencer now – even the tennis players
The influence of influencer culture was evident at the Australian Open when world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka wore Gucci sunglasses at the post-match press conference and joked that she couldn’t talk because her mind was shopping.
The sport of tournament and tennis has become increasingly commercialized over the years and top players are not immune from the pressure to indulge for dinner.
Sabalenka uses both her traditional media appearances and her own social media presence, with 4.2 million followers, to help promote her many partnerships.
She represents jewelery brand Material Good alongside Gucci at the Australian Open, and invites her followers to “shop my collection”, wellness powder IM8 and clothing from airline Emirates, as well as more traditional tennis brands Wilson Racquets and Nike.
Nick Kyrgios’ performance at the Australian Open was limited to one doubles match this year, but that didn’t stop him from “appearing” with US player Frances Tiafoe at the newly opened Cleo rooftop bar at the Hyde Melbourne Place hotel.
The duo happily answered questions about their favorite vegetable (broccoli for Kyrgios, in case you were wondering) and pinpointed where they’d like to grab a drink in Melbourne (Cleo, of course).
In an interview with this magazine following the public Q&A session, Kyrgios said tennis players are facing increasing pressure from their sponsors to be involved off the court.
“I’ve definitely had to deal with that a lot more than other tennis players,” he says. “It would be nice sometimes to fly under the radar. But I guess it’s also about the territory, you know?”
Kyrgios says that as tennis booms, commercial deals and obligations to tennis stars also increase.
“I mean sports-wise, you look at guys like this [Carlos] Alcaraz and [Jannik] “It’s something that Sinner, Sabalenka and all these great tennis players deal with every day,” he says. “It’s not just the pressure that comes to the court. They need to come for brand deals, they need to come for hotels. They have to show up for a lot of different things.
Renaming the Australian Open’s pre-tournament week from “qualifying week” to “opening week” delivered a win in ticket sales for Tennis Australia, but also provided a golden opportunity for tennis stars to get their nod before the Australian Open began.
You can’t swing a tennis racket in Melbourne without running into one of the world’s best tennis players promoting a product or brand.
Novak Djokovic was dazzling in his royal blue tracksuit as he posed for photos with fans at Arbory Afloat’s floating tennis court on the Yarra while making a clever guerrilla ad for Lacoste; And fans of world No. 2 Iga Świątek could meet him on the Crown’s rooftop tennis court at an event organized by sports brand On.
The promotion did not stop once the tournament started; When Naomi Osaka took to the court at Rod Laver Arena in a jellyfish-inspired dress she designed, the dress was immediately put on sale by sports giant Nike.
Sophie Bishop, author Impressive CreepHe defines an influencer as a person in a specific niche who also creates content about himself.
In a recent episode Culture Study podcast, ‘Is everyone an influencer now?’ With the normalization of posting “OOTD” (Outfit of the Day) or “BTS” (Behind the Scenes), the language and strategies of influencers have become commonplace throughout society, Bishop says.
“There’s always this kind of carrot hanging over, which is like if you share more, if you do more, if you put yourself out there more, then it can bring success,” he says.
Tennis commentator and two-time Australian Open champion Jim Courier appears in Uber Eats’ ad campaign during the tournament and says tennis is moving from being dominated by sports brands to a broader market of athlete influence.
“Companies like Nike have long used athletes to help with their marketing,” he says. “But recently tennis has become more and more popular thanks to incredible champions like Djokovic. [Roger] Federer, [Rafael] Nadal, Serena Williams, Venus Williams and Ash Barty, you see these non-endemic companies wanting to use events like the Australian Open, US Open or Wimbledon as a chance to highlight their brands. “A lot of times it makes sense for them to take advantage of some people in the tennis world.”
Tennis players are increasingly becoming powerful content creators who are shaping trends beyond the court.
This year, the Open’s biggest influencers aren’t posting courtside selfies; They are the ones playing the game.
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