World No. 1 women’s tennis player Iga Swiatek’s “reluctance to put herself out there commercially is a trait that has paradoxically worked” in her favor when it “comes to boosting her bank balance,” according to Stuart Fraser of the London TIMES.
Swiatek finished 2023 with $14M of endorsements, and her sponsorship income was only $1M “behind the totals” of fellow tennis players Emma Raducanu, Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka — all of whom are “regarded to be more eager in their deal making.”
Swiatek became the first sportsperson to sign a worldwide ambassadorship with the popular beauty company Lancôme.
Five months after becoming World No.1, she signed with IMG and got the opportunity to work with agent Max Eisenbud, who is “renowned for making millions off the court” for the likes of Raducanu and former tennis player Maria Sharapova.
The companies alongside Lancôme on her list of partnerships include Visa, Porsche, Rolex, Lego, Infosys, On shoes and Oshee sports drinks.
Fraser wrote success is an “obvious factor” for why companies are “attracted to Swiatek,” as she has won four grand-slam titles since 2020.
But her “shy and unassuming personality” has also been cited as “a marketing strength.” Lego is perhaps the “best fit of all.”
Swiatek “often travels with sets of toy bricks to build models and puzzles during her spare time at tournaments,” saying previously that it “helped improve her mental strength.”