“Always has controversy around him,” Novak Djokovic’s marketability gets questioned by Nike Director Mike Najajima
Former Nike Director believes that the constant controversies associated with Djokovic can be detrimental to the brand
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World No. 1, Novak Djokovic is known for breaking tennis records on the daily. Arguably the best tennis player of all time, Djokovic recently acclaimed the highest ranking once again. His 10th win at the Australian Open contributed to his ascension. Along with his legacy, his reputation is frequently embroiled in controversies.
With a line of alleged controversies to his name, the Serb’s popularity and marketability are often put into question. As a result, former Nike director, Mike Nakajima commented on the detriments associated with collaborating with the 22-time Grand Slam Champion. Nakajima implied that Djokovic is not highly marketable.
The remarks of the former head of tennis for Nike were published in Simon Cambers and Simon Graf’s recently published book, “The Roger Federer Effect.” Nakajima thinks Djokovic is under a “black cloud” that he has created for himself.“Djokovic could well be the most successful tennis player ever. But there’s always a dark cloud around him. It’s like he brings it upon himself,” the Nike director mentioned in the book.
Regarding Djokovic, Nakajima emphasized the Serb’s disqualification after accidentally hitting a lineswoman in the 2020 US Open. He also mentioned Novak’s coronavirus vaccination issue. According to Nakajima, companies would rather collaborate with people who have a good reputation rather than players who are frequently at the center of controversies.
“He hits the lineswoman at the US Open and gets disqualified? It happens, I guess. But why does it always happen to Novak? Or the whole controversy about the Covid-19 vaccination. Now, as a brand: do I want to be behind somebody who always has controversy around him? Or do I want to go with an athlete with a squeaky clean image?” Nakajima further said.
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Nike Director, Mike Nakajima thinks Novak Djokovic’s image is not as enticing as Federer or Nadal
While Nakajima believes Djokovic has the potential to surpass Federer and Nadal as the greatest tennis player of all time, he asserted that the 35-year-brand old’s would never be as appealing. Mike Nakajima worked with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for many years after they were signed by the sports apparel giant Nike.
Federer has always focused heavily on that element of his career, in his opinion, making him the most marketable of the Big 3 players. Nakajimia expressed such a statement owing to Djokovic’s controversial tennis career. In terms of marketability, female players such as Serena Williams and Emma Raducanu have much better branding and image.
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Tanisha Mohanty
(172 Articles Published)