Qinwen Zheng’s Star Power Shines Bright as $12.5 Billion Brand Welcomes Her After Emma Raducanu
Qinwen Zheng is taking the tennis world by storm! After her stunning triumph at the Paris Olympics, where she showcased her ability to outshine even the toughest opponents, Zheng’s prowess has been the talk of the town. Last season, she proved her consistency with jaw-dropping performances that kept her name in the spotlight. But now, it’s not just her game making headlines. In a fascinating twist, Zheng is making waves in the endorsement world, joining forces with none other than Emma Raducanu in a surprising and exciting manner. Looks like “Queen Wen” is ready to reign both on and off the court!
In a remarkable move on Thursday, Dior confirmed the Chinese tennis sensation as its global brand Ambassador. With this, she joined Raducanu who has so far served as the face of the brand for tennis enthusiasts. Remember, Emma joined the house of Dior as an ambassador in 2021 reportedly in a £2($2.53million) million partnership, which came after her US Open victory. Now, Zheng’s addition is making a huge statement about her rising stardom and her influence outside of the courts too.
Reflecting on its decision, the brand issued a statement and lauded Zheng’s personality, claiming that she is the best fit for the brand. Zheng “embodies the elegance and boldness of Dior style, a femininity in perpetual motion,” the fashion house noted. Continuing further, the French brand shared, “More than ever, this unique alliance seals the house’s commitment to empowerment and self-assertion, spotlighting the multiple connections that unite the worlds of sport and couture.” Interestingly, this comes shortly after Zheng dazzled the courts impeccably last year.
Zheng Qinwen is Dior’s new global ambassador. pic.twitter.com/biyuRb6szP
— Bendou Zhang (@BendouZhang) January 9, 2025
The Chinese star started her 2024 season with a remarkable run at the Australian Open where she clinched the runner-up title after falling short to Aryna Sabalenka in the finals. She went on to bag the title at Palermo in the weeks preceding the Paris Olympics. She then became the first Asian tennis player to win a Gold at the Paris Olympics. Zheng continued her heroics and clinched the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, besides winning the runner-up title at the WTA Finals. Hence, the deal from the $12.5 Billion brand is quite understandable.
While many details about the deal are not available as of yet, the latest partnership has surely established Zheng as one of the mammoths in the world of tennis endorsements. For the unversed, Zheng enjoys endorsement deals with top brands like Nike, Lancome, Gatorade, Wilson, McDonald’s, Rolex, and more, per Forbes. In addition, she also joined forces with Audi, milk tea chain Chagee, and Vivo which further proves her dominance. She also appeared as the face of Vogue China Magazine, which completely mesmerized tennis enthusiasts. It is for these reasons, that Zheng also closed her 2024 season as one of the richest female athletes.
Interestingly, when Sportico released the list of the highest-paid female athletes in December, Zheng stood at the 4th spot with $20.6 Million in wealth. Of this, $15 Million was calculated to have come through her endorsement deals, which will likely be boosted this year after her latest partnership. But while Zheng is finally becoming a face of the sport at a global face, the beginning was not as glamorous for her. The Chinese star once revealed how she had to face immense financial hardships before she could eventually build a lavish life.
“Almost sold our house” – When Qinwen Zheng painfully revealed her struggles
Qinwen Zheng is one of the most celebrated players today. However, the beginning of her career was anything but smooth and posed several challenges for not just the Chinese star, but her parents too. As she looked back at her struggles, Zheng could only be proud of the feat that she had witnessed lately.
Speaking about the economic challenges, Zheng made emotional confessions after winning the Gold Medal at the Olympics, “When I was 14-15, my dad almost sold our house to fund my tennis lessons. He knew I had potential, and wanted to give all he could to realize my dream.” But eventually, the success she witnessed recently definitely outshined her struggles, admits Zheng.
“Yes no doubt, tennis frustrates me, makes me cry and question myself, however I have always believed that one day I will taste success, and the moment I clinched Gold in the Olympics, all the sacrifices were worth it,” she shared. For now, as she gears up for yet another electric season, it would be interesting to see if Qinwen Zheng will amass more off-court achievements, and prove her dominance in the endorsement world too.
