For the most part of her professional career, former world No.1 and Grand Slam champion Caroline Wozniacki has been sponsored by Adidas. But did you know how the relationship between the most successful Scandinavian WTA player and Europe’s largest sportswear manufacturer started? New Zealand Herald shares a story that reveals not only Wozniacki’s business sense, but also a set of traits that must have contributed to her immense success on the tennis court.
As a child, Wozniacki admired Anna Kournikova’s on-court fashion, but her parents weren’t willing to spend as much money on tennis apparel as their talented daughter desired. Advised by her father Piotr, who said that there’s no shame in asking and that no one was going to bite her through the phone, then-just-a-ten-year-old Wozniacki headed straight to the top, calling the head office of Adidas in Denmark and connecting with the CEO. Taken aback by Wozniacki’s eloquence and self-esteem, the manager in Copenhagen didn’t need much persuasion to send the aspiring tennis star a bunch of Adidas clothes.
In Wozniacki’s own words:
He was very impressed with the way I was able to talk to him, and how sure I was of my abilities and everything. He was surprised that a 10 year old could call and make a case for herself, and they were kind enough to send me clothes for the next few years.
Just a few years later, Wozniacki became one of the brand’s poster girls. The last tournament of her career will be the 2020 Australian Open, where she’ll wear Adidas’ HEAT.RDY women’s collection.
I’ve been doing Fashion Retrospections of Wozniacki’s tennis apparel every year since 2009, when she became the face of Adidas’ Stella McCartney line. Below is a complete insight into her on-court fashion in the past decade.
The fact that she is blonde tall and white probably helped! Her tennis isn’t even that impressive, all she is good at doing is WHINING!
Rib, how can you say that? The CEO apparently made a good decision. Just a few years later, Caroline turned out to be one of their best representatives. She was both a No.1 and a Grand Slam champion. What else can you ask for?