Emma Raducanu’s endorsements questioned by world No. 6 after blitzing Caitlin Clark
A fellow tennis player is not convinced by Emma Raducanu's reported earnings.
Casper Ruud has questioned Emma Raducanu’s brand endorsements after it was claimed that she has raked in more money than athletes such as Caitlin Clark and Simone Biles. Raducanu is a hugely attractive prospect for brands looking for high-profile figures to promote their products. She has signed sponsorship deals with Nike, Wilson and Evian and is an ambassador for the likes of Dior, Tiffany and Porsche.
Earlier this week, it was claimed by Sportico that Raducanu has made £10,974,040 over the last 12 months. The vast majority of that figure is said to have come from her various brand endorsements, as opposed to prize money won on the tennis court. It puts her above WNBA sensation Clark, who is said to have earned around £8,621,804 through her endorsements. Biles, meanwhile, has reportedly earned the same amount but Ruud is not convinced those figures are accurate.
Replying to a fan on X (formerly Twitter), the 25-year-old questioned how anybody outside of Raducanu’s closest circle would know how much money she was really making. He wrote: “How do you/they know? Have you seen all of Emma, Aryna and Elena’s contracts with your own eyes?”
The fan replied with an excerpt from the article, which stated the figures were ‘compiled through conversations with those familiar with marketing agreements’. Ruud was still not buying it, though. He responded: “Fair enough, but even for them it’s a guessing game. There’s no way an agent would ever give access to their player’s contracts.
“So, in reality, only the agent and player know the real numbers. They should write ‘highest estimated paid athletes’ instead.” Raducanu boasts a healthy personal fortune, with the Sunday Times Rich List estimating her net worth at around £10million. Last year, she was named by Forbes as the sixth highest-paid tennis player in the world.
Most of the money she has earned over the years has come from endorsements, with the WTA website putting her total prize money from tennis at £3.35m.
Questions have been asked over whether Raducanu’s commercial deals have distracted her from improving her form on the court. However, she hit back at those suggestions earlier this year by pointing out that most of her work goes unnoticed.
She told The Times: “There are those who see me doing a shoot or posing for a commercial and they don’t see the seven hours before that at the training centre, doing physio, gym, hitting balls. “But if on a rare evening I go to a premiere and I get photographed, that’s my downtime.”
