“Sponsors thanks Novak Djokovic They responded to $30 million last year. At the moment, they are mostly supporting the Serbs or keeping quiet after the best tennis player in the world was excluded from the Australian Open.”
Most of them remain silent or want to continue
Raiffeisen Bank International said in a statement that it will continue to sponsor Djokovic. “We made our decision long before the current news about Novak, his COVID-19 vaccination status and participation in the Australian Open,” the Austrian bank said.
A similar opinion was expressed by Hublot, the manufacturer of luxury watches. “Djokovic decides for himself. We cannot comment on his personal decisions,” the Swiss watch company said.
The French clothing company Lacoste is the only sponsor who is suspicious of further cooperation with the tennis player. “We will contact Novak as soon as possible to analyze what happened in Australia. We wish everyone a successful tournament and we thank the organizers for all their efforts to make the tournament run in good conditions for the players, staff and spectators” – reads the letter.
Serba’s other sponsors – Asics, Head, Lemero, NetJets, Peugeot and Ultimate Software Group – did not respond to Forbes’ request for comment.
– For me, this reaction of the sponsors is understandable. Companies are surprised by the scale of the crisis. None of them know how to behave. They have a big problem with the image. On the one hand, they know that the majority of consumers are awareness, socially responsible, and pro-vaccine. On the other hand, they have very valuable marketing and sporting assets in the form of Djokovic. They signed contracts with him, connected with the company’s strategy, created advertising campaigns – says Sport.pl Grzegorz Kita, a specialist in marketing and sports consultancy.
– Naturally, most patrons prefer silence, do not want to be photographed, try to wait. However, I think that if the tennis player decides not to vaccinate and the “drama” continues around him, the sponsors will instead look for ways to get rid of cooperation with the Serbian or a strong limitation of relationships and exposure. This case has become very prominent globally and is related to a pandemic, which is a very objective problem and will not stop quickly, as the interviewer predicts.
Won’t he play in the Grand Slams?
On Saturday, the Australian Federal Court upheld the government’s decision to revoke Novak Djokovic’s visa. The Serbs had to leave AustraliaHowever, deportation from this country and the inability to participate in the Australian Open are not the only problems for the leader of the standings. It is not certain whether Djokovic will be able to play in the other three Grand Slam tournaments this year.
The French Ministry on Monday sports Tennis players who want to participate in Roland Garros will need a Covid passport, said tennis players. But earlier, Der Spiegel announced that Djokovic is not immune and will be able to play in Paris. In April, a presidential election will be held in France, and this issue may still be under discussion.
It is possible that Djokovic will be able to play at Wimbledon. “Travelers to the UK do not need to be vaccinated if they test negative within two days of arrival and are isolated for 10 days. However, it remains unclear whether Wimbledon He will require vaccinations (organizers have not responded to a request for comment on this), but last year players were not required to show proof of vaccination, and tournament authorities have not indicated they will change their policy,” Forbes read.
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Serbs’ biggest problems may be with his performance in US Open. “Almost all foreign visitors heading to the United States must demonstrate that they have been fully vaccinated,” the Washington Post says. “There are exceptions, but most do not appear to apply to Djokovic.”
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How much can Djokovic lose?
$8.18 million – At least that’s what Djokovic could lose in 2022 if he doesn’t participate in any of his four Grand Slam events. The best tennis player will receive $2.06 million at this year’s Australian Open. The year before, the winner at Roland Garros earned 1.69 million, at Wimbledon 1.93 million, and at the US Open at 2.5 million.
As calculated by Forbes, Djokovic earned $34.5 million in 2021, making him the 46th highest-paid athlete in the world. Novak Djokovic is not the only prominent competitor to have expressed doubts about COVID-19 vaccines. According to a December study by Forbes, 13 of the world’s 50 highest paid athletes did not disclose whether or not they had been vaccinated.
However, the lack of athletes’ vaccinations rarely affects their collaboration with sponsors. The exception, among others, is Aaron Rodgers, the star football American, who lost her contract with Prevea Health. The Wisconsin Health Organization ended its nine-year partnership with Rodgers after the quarterback spread misinformation about vaccines.
Djokovic has earned over $154 million in court throughout his career.
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