Carlos Alcaraz won the US Open and became the new number one. Dennis Timar and I discuss the ascent of Alcaraz in our latest podcast.
The Ascent of Alcaraz
We can’t get enough of Carlos Alcaraz, can we? Well, any topic can be tedious when repeated, but in this podcast episode, we talk about what the ascent of Alcaraz might mean for tennis. This leads us to topics like brands in tennis, trends in the tennis industry, and what has changed in the world of tennis in recent years.
Alcaraz is a new superstar, which is a lucrative opportunity for his main sponsors, Nike and Babolat. How can they leverage the teenagers’ rise to the top? Will we see a separate Alcaraz apparel line like for Federer and Nadal? Will Carlos Alcaraz racquet, the Babolat Pure Aero VS (click for my review) become an icon in the racquet industry? Can we expect a new shoe line that sells the amazing sliding movement that has become Alcaraz’s trademark?
Time will tell. But if Emma Raducanu got some massive sponsorship deals after her US Open win in 2021, I’m sure Alcaraz agent will have a busy time in the coming months.
The big four
In racquet brands, you often talk about the big four: Wilson, Babolat, HEAD and Yonex. But is maybe Tecnifibre making it a big five? And what about Dunlop, with signings like Jack Draper, Miomir Kecmanovic and Alexei Popyrin, they have found a segment with high potential. Maybe they can grow their market share significantly in the coming years?
This also leads our conversation to micro-brands in tennis. Such as Furi Sport, Angell, Heysil and TenX to name a few. This topic might need a separate podcast, but it’s worth noting that although these brands all create excellent products, it’s going to be tough to break through in the market without endorsing top players. Is that the harsh truth, or is there room for new products and strategies in the racquet industry?
Let me know what you think, but first, listen to the podcast I just published with my buddy Dennis Timar.
It’s available on Spotify and iTunes and the usual podcasting platforms.
