Nicole Vaidisova vs. Maria Sharapova

Nicole Vaidisova's three consecutive tournament victories in Seoul, Tokyo and Bangkok have attracted her some attention.  Is she the next Maria Sharapova?  Reebok thinks so.

From The Times: Battle of the brands (registration required)

Nicole Vaidisova and Maria Sharapova are leading players on the court - and in the fight betweens sportswear rivals...

Almost a decade on and the Kournikova template is still being updated. Today there are two statuesque blondes who hit a ball with severe force and usually accompany it with a deafening screech. As with their predecessor, their origins are in the former Eastern bloc and both were moved to America as children to work under the tutelage of Nick Bollettieri at his Florida tennis academy.

Maria Sharapova already earns $18m a year from sponsorship and endorsements deals alone, and Nicole Vaidisova possesses all the attributes to tread the same path. At 16, the German-born Czech rejects the suggestion that she is just another marketing man’s dream, though she assuredly is, and is determined to make her mark through her tennis. She respects Sharapova’s achievements but in Vaidisova’s eyes, the world No 1, who is two years her senior, will soon become just another opponent to beat rather than emulate...

“Nicole exudes just the right image,” said Dianne Hayes, Reebok’s global tennis director. “She is bright and intelligent, she is socially skilled and she is photogenic. She exuded confidence even at a really young age and that’s so important in tennis. There is a sense of self, (she’s) very poised, very confident. The fact she is attractive is very important to us. She is just one or two wins away from exploding into the world’s perception.”

Though Sharapova’s schedule has been arduous on her still-growing body, she is reputedly giving serious thought to a $2m offer for a short December tour, playing on three successive nights in different Japanese cities.

If Vaidisova’s success continues, it is safe to assume she will be moving close to that bracket in little more than a year. Nigel Currie, director of the GEM Group that specialises in sports and entertainment marketing, observed: “There is room for somebody who is young, talented and photogenic to get a slice of the action. There has been a dearth of female sports stars who fit the criteria. Vaidisova appears to be comfortable with the demands away from the tennis court and that is in her favour. If she’s personable, photogenic and has a distinct public relations savvy about her, then it augurs well. That’s the key the people who pay out the big bucks look for and there are an awful lot of sportswomen that just don’t have those qualities. It’s a little bit of X-factor that gives them so much more.” ...

Sharapova is still not at her earning peak and many estimate she will be amassing more than $25m a year if she collects another couple of majors next year and cements her No 1 ranking. However it is not without problems. Although she reached the semi-finals in three of the four Grand Slam tournaments this year she has struggled with her fitness and has been forced to withdraw from a string of tournaments. There are those who insist her commercial commitments are affecting her tennis, and earlier this year her long-term coach, Robert Lansdorp, issued a plea for the teenager to cut down on travel and off-court work.

But she and Vaidisova remain the financial envy of many players who have met with more competitive success and as Peter Lawler, a veteran of tennis management with Octagon, the company that represented Kournikova towards the end of her career, observed: “When it comes down to it, the whole thing is based upon one thing: pure and simple sex appeal. Anna was, Sharapova is and Vaidisova could well become one of sport’s most lucrative and successful marketing machines. They are gorgeous, young, attractive females and companies are queuing up to have their names connected with them.”

Lawler insists Kournikova turned down at least six potential deals for every one to which she agreed. Other familiar names never had the opportunity to be so selective. “No matter what their management companies might say, nobody could find a deal for the likes of Davenport or Capriati. I’m not going to come out and say what the reason is but I think everyone knows.”

Comments

[max]

maria is a very good player. we cannot compare anyone with maria sharapova.

[Ally]

There's no question Vaidisova has potential, but even with as many titles as she has this year, she really hasn't beaten one of the big names on tour yet (unless you count Petrova). Also, she needs to keep her temper in check - her behavior against Petrova at the U.S. Open was disgusting.

For the sake of the women's game (which has fallen on hard times lately) I hope she comes through, but, as I said before, she really needs to beat one of the big names before she will get mainstream notice.

[Shawn]

This isn't as much about results or ability as it is about attractiveness. That's sad that other players with better results and less beauty won't reap as much money off court as a few of these young, European blonds.

[Shawn]

This isn't as much about results or ability as it is about attractiveness. That's sad that other players with better results and less beauty won't reap as much money off court as a few of these young, European blonds.

[Naomi]

Yes Shawn, that's just a sad fact of life. Big companies want to target as wide an audience as possible. And only avid tennis fans like us who dream about catching the dirty, sweat-soaked wrist bands, socks, etc thrown up by clijsters and davenport, will be drawn to products endorsed by these great players. On the other hand, many people who haven't even watched a complete tennis match in their lives know who kournikova, sharapova, and probably very soon, vaidisova are. And it's these people that big companies want to target 'cos that's a much larger market. It's about making money ... and who can blame them, right?

[Cruiser(Abhi)]

Nicole is definately a great potential and her victories have certified her capabilities but comparing her Wimbledon champion and Winner of 10 WTA titles Maria Sharapova is bit premature evaluation and unjustified.Maria is not only good looking but World Number One(Till Date)and has got the game to defeat anyone in Top-10 WTA rank but Nicole hasn't proved her domination over Nadia Petrova,Svetlana and others which Maria has done already.Regarding Looks well Nicole is gifted with a very pretty face but in terms of physique I put Maria ahead of her,she is a complete package.

[Cruiser(Abhi)]

Nicole is definately a great potential and her victories have certified her capabilities but comparing her with Wimbledon champion and Winner of 10 WTA titles Maria Sharapova is bit premature evaluation and unjustified.Maria is not only good looking but World Number One(Till Date)and has got the game to defeat anyone in Top-10 WTA rank but Nicole hasn't proved her domination over Nadia Petrova,Svetlana and others which Maria has done already.Regarding Looks well Nicole is gifted with a very pretty face but in terms of physique I put Maria ahead of her,she is a complete package.

[TeaKay]

If we compare Nicole to Maria when Maria was 16 it is obvious that Nicole is much better in what she has achieved, might even go as far as saying Maria does not compare to Nicole. Nicole will be in the top 5 by the end of next year and fighting for number 1 buy the end of the following year.