Canada’s new ‘it’ girl of tennis, Eugenie Bouchard, is a marketers dream according to her agent who says the 19-year-old will overtake Maria Sharapova as the sport’s most marketable woman.
Sam Duvall, Bouchard’s agent, said her performance in the Open has attracted attention of potential sponsors, according to Fairfax reports.
'Marketability-wise, I think she can be the most famous tennis player in the world,'' Duvall told The Sydney Morning Herald.
Bouchard’s main sponsor is Nike but her name is also currently attached to a number of smaller brands including Pinty’s Delicious Foods, the “chicken people”.
The Canadian food brand is a far cry from the global big name brands currently attached to Sharapova, such as Porsche.
Bouchard, known as Genie, has become a hit thanks to her performance in this year’s Australian Open and her upset victory over Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic which has seen her progress to the semi-finals.
Duvall believes Bouchard is the “total package” and says her ability to speak both English and French gives her great crossover appeal.
In June last year Sharapova (below) was ranked 22nd on Forbes list of the highest-paid athletes. According to Forbes Sharapova earned $29 million last year and $23m of that came from endorsements.
