Has Aryna Sabalenka's Belarusian nationality worked against the World No.1 in endorsement battle with Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek?

The Top three ranked players on the WTA Tour- Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, and Coco Gauff are among the Top 5 female athletes in terms of earnings in 2024. On the earnings list, it is Gauff who leads the way in the Top spot, Swiatek in the third, and Sabalenka in 5th. Despite being the No. 1 player, Sabalenka seems to be missing out on sponsorships, which could be because of her nationality.

A report, published by Sportico, has surfaced in the digital media, which highlights the 15 top-paid female athletes for 2024. Tennis seems to be in a financially secure place, as 9 of the 15 players on the list are tennis players.

The interesting perspective to this rankings is the fact that Sablenka was the highest prize money-earner on the court. The Belarusian won four titles in the season with a combined prize money of 9.7 million dollars. Gauff's earnings on the court have been 9.4 million and Swiatek's 8.4.

However, it is the value of the endorsements that seems to be making a difference in the total earnings of the three players. While the American and Pole have received 21 and 13 million dollars respectively from sponsorships, the Belarusian's endorsements are valued at 8 million dollars.

One of the possible reasons for the discrepancy in the endorsements is the nationality of the World No. 1 player. Belarusian athletes have borne the brunt of official sanctions and bans from various sporting organizations. In the world of tennis, the most notable bans came at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships where Russian and Belarusian players were not allowed to participate.

Keeping brand image in mind, it is not outside the realm of possibility that several prominent brands might hesitate to collaborate with Sabalenka due to her nationality. As a result, despite being the World No. 1 she is losing out on money which could put her on par with her rivals Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek in terms of earnings.

Sabalenka has been vocal about her dissent regarding the Ukraine War, condemning the violence,

"About the war situation, I said it many, many times: Nobody in this world, Russian athletes or Belarusian athletes, support the war. Nobody. How can we support the war? Nobody, normal people will never support it," Aryna Sabalenka said during the 2023 French Open.

Sabalenka has often been on the receiving end of the handshake embargo, wherein Ukrainian players refuse to shake the hands of their Belarusian opponents as a means of protest against the war.

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Nike and Wilson are some of the prominent brands that endorse Aryna Sabalenka

In the volatility of the Ukraine War, prominent brands like Nike and Wilson are sponsors for the Aryna Sabalenka. Before the 2023 US Open, Nike made a custom kit for the then World No. 2 which showed that the brand was ready to support the athlete even under the scrutiny of media and politics. The tennis star sports the Nike Air Zoom Vapor X shoes on the court.

Wilson is another prominent brand that endorses Sabalenka. The sporting goods company provides tennis racquets to a large part of both ATP and WTA players. The world No.1 plays with the Wilson Blade 98 18*20 V7 racquet.

Other prominent brands that sponsor the Belarusian are Oakberry, Maestro Dobel Tequilla, Leaf Trading Cards, Master & Dynamic, Beekeeper's Naturals, and Olipop.