"Novak Djokovic made them bankrupt, didn't he?" - Jack Sock, others revisit "rumor" about Serb being dropped by clothing sponsor for winning too much

Sam Querrey, Jack Sock, and others recently revisited the tale of what went down between Novak Djokovic and Sergio Tacchini, an eponymous sportswear brand named after the former Italian tennis player. Querrey said how the brand couldn't keep up with the bonuses the Serb was triggering by winning a lot and eventually had to part ways.

Djokovic signed with Sergio Tacchini in 2009 on a 10-year deal. According to CNBC, the Italian brand offered smaller guarantees than bigger brands, however, it had a special stipulation that stated that the Serb would receive huge incentives based on his results.

When Djokovic went to the top of the tennis world in 2011, Sergio Tacchini started having difficulties keeping up with the bonuses and it is said that they decided to part ways with him.

In a recent episode of the podcast Nothing Major, hosted by Sam Querrey, Jack Sock, John Isner, and Steve Johnson, Querrey broached the topic of the 24-time Grand Slam champion's partnership with Sergio Tacchini to delve into this 'rumor'.

"Remember that back in the day when Novak was with Sergio Tacchini, Novak was with them for 4 or 5 years and the rumor was that he was essentially just putting them out of business because he kept winning every Major."

Sock questioned,

"He made them bankrupt, didn’t he?"

Querrey responded,

"Yeah and every Masters series, he’s just triggering bonus after bonus after bonus and they’re not Nike and they were just, 'oops Novak’s so much', they couldn't continue and they dropped him or they went under, or what happened but it ended."

Isner chimed in seemingly talking about his legendary 2011 year when the Serb didn't lose a match until the French Open semifinals.

"It was his legendary 2012 year, remember he started like 42-0. I mean it was absurd, he was undefeated through Rome and he was wearing Tacchini. They’re like lose."

Finally, Querry quipped,

"We’ve got €5000 left in the Sergio Tacchini bank account. We can’t give you any more."

Before Sergio Tacchini, the Serb was with Adidas and after parting ways with the Italian brand, he joined hands with Uniqlo. Currently, his apparel sponsor is Lacoste.

"Rene Lacoste was a revolutionary in two senses" - Novak Djokovic states why he was 'curious' about Lacoste

The Serb in the colors of Lacsote (Source: Getty)

During an interview in 2017 with Life Beyond Sport, Novak Djokovic discussed how Rene Lacoste, the visionary behind the sportswear brand, revolutionized not only tennis but the world of fashion as well. The brand was founded in 1933 by the tennis star alongside Andre Gillier, an entrepreneur.

"Rene Lacoste was a revolutionary in two senses: he changed the game of tennis and he changed fashion. That’s why I was so curious about the brand and what we could work on," Djokovic said.

The Serb also recalled how his father Srdjan used to wear Lacoste's polo shirt and loved how he now had the opportunity to add a modern touch to his dad's clothes.

"My father would wear Lacoste polo shirts when I was a child. I remember his drawers had stacks and stacks of polo shirts, all in different colours, so it’s nice for me to be able to revisit my dad’s wardrobe and update it a little bit."

Djokovic pulled out of the 2024 ATP Finals, where he was the defending champion. He announced that he would be returning to the court in 2025 but needed to rejuvenate himself.