Serena Williams signs $600million lucrative endorsement deal with luxury brand 2025
Serena Williams Nike contract: How the American icon set herself up for life with a one-of-a-kind partnership deal
Despite her retirement from tennis in 2022, Serena Williams remains one of
the highest-paid athletes in the world. The American superstar enjoyed
unprecedented success on-court as well as off it during an illustrious
career
However, it turns out that the seeds for her financial success were sowed a
long time ago by her father Richard Williams.
In 1997, 16-year-old Serena Williams was set to take over the tennis world by
storm. Despite having won only one professional tournament at the time,
she already looked like a potential future star.
This was when her father
Richard negotiated her first-ever professional contract with Puma.
Although Williams was ranked World No. 99 at the time, her father saw the
potential in her and added a ‘Top-10’ clause in her contract. This clause included many bonuses and incentives when Williams eventually cracked
the top 10 of the world rankings.
her signature among all the sporting giants. Nike eventually won the battle
for her signature and signed her on a then-record $60 million deal spread
over six years
quite utilized her full potential off-it. However, a deal with Nike brought
glamour and stardom to Williams which was never seen before in women’s
tennis. This mega-deal with Nike, not only included incentives but also
made her a household name across the world.
titles, the most in the Open Era. Along with that, the American even added
Olympic gold and WTA Finals trophies to her cabinet. She was the face of
tennis for almost two decades and her partnership with Nike flourished
$40 million over five years. This included sales royalties and incentives for
every Grand Slam title and World No. 1 ranking.
In 2016, Williams became the world’s highest-paid female athlete with an
annual salary of $29 million, which further enhanced her stardom. However,
the biggest Nike-Williams tie-up came in 2019, with their apprenticeship
program.
Serena Williams and Nike came together in 2019 to launch the Serena
Williams Design Crew (SWDC), a design apprenticeship program at Nike.This program aims to help develop less privileged children and give them a
stage to showcase their talent. This tie-up with Nike is still going strong even
after Williams’ retirement.
and invested heavily throughout her playing career. The American ace
started her investment journey by founding ‘Serena Ventures’ to invest in
companies with diverse founders. Serena Ventures has invested in over 60
start-ups so far, getting a positive return on investment from most of them.
expand her brand in the market. Along with this, she has a stake in UFC,
while also being a shareholder in sporting teams like the NWSL’s Angel City
FC and the NFL’s Miami Dolphins.
world’s highest-paid athletes list by Forbes in 2023. She earned a record
$94.6 million in prize money throughout her illustrious career, which has
helped her with financial stability after retirement. Her hard work on-court
and smart investments off-it have also enabled Williams to have a net
worth of $250 million.
took full advantage of it. She was the most sought-after athlete in the brand
market for the majority of her career, and it still attracting interest from
many brands.
Now, after her retirement, she has admitted that she wants to stay away
from the limelight and concentrate on her family but the savvy
entrepreneur in her is still often in the news.
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