Emma Raducanu leaves Nike for Uniqlo as smaller brands provide unique opportunities for tennis players

The GIST: This week, British tennis star Emma Raducanu left Nike to ink a multiyear deal with Japanese clothing brand Uniqlo, following in the footsteps of heavy-hitters like Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. The move illustrates how athletes and smaller brands have more leverage than ever when it comes to sports apparel giants. Let’s dive in.

The context: Nike signed Raducanu at 15 years old, three years before her breakout win at the 2021 US Open, her only Grand Slam title to date. After her victory, she landed major brand deals with Evian, Dior, and British Airways, among others. This is typical: Sports apparel giants like Nike and New Balance — which signed Coco Gauff at 14 — compete to identify and sign rising talent.

• But Raducanu’s portfolio is changing after not winning a title since 2021, including Vodafone reportedly ending its deal with her last year. Still, she has 2.9M Instagram followers — only Aryna Sabalenka has more among active WTA athletes — and is popular in East Asia due to her Chinese heritage.

• That’s what makes the Uniqlo deal compelling: It shows Raducanu still has “significant commercial pulling power” despite recent injuries and losses. This positions her for a potentially similar path to Naomi Osaka, who has successfully pivoted her portfolio to not hinge on athletic success.

The leverage: Nike and other major brands aren’t the only game in town anymore for top tennis athletes, who are increasingly drawn to newer brands on the court like Vuori and Lululemon. Sometimes they’re able to offer more money or attention than bigger brands. And social media is a great equalizer — athletes can still get high exposure and engagement without a Nike campaign.

The takeaway: Nike arguably retains the biggest names in tennis right now, but this shows how an alternative brand can bet on an athlete and cash in on their popularity with little to lose. It’s not just Uniqlo: Emerging tennis brands all have this opportunity to court athletes if they can bring something unique to the table.

• Like Osaka, Raducanu has managed to establish herself as a cultural figure independent of her success — and that works for the trendy Uniqlo, which is primed for an international superstar to match its quest for global dominance. If the shoe fits.