{"id":590862,"date":"2026-04-07T08:30:13","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T08:30:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/590862\/"},"modified":"2026-04-07T08:30:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T08:30:13","slug":"how-jack-draper-became-the-most-marketable-guy-in-tennis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/590862\/","title":{"rendered":"How Jack Draper Became the Most Marketable Guy in Tennis"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hi everyone, welcome back to SportsVerse<\/a>, my twice-weekly newsletter that tells stories you can\u2019t find anywhere else about the intersection of sports, fashion, business, and culture.<\/p>\n

Over the past few years, we\u2019ve witnessed the emergence of a crop of young athletes that the fashion industry has looked to for help in broadening its audience and consumer base, as sports become an increasingly important driver behind the category\u2019s marketing efforts. In the NBA, the likes of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jordan Clarkson have emerged as real fashion heads, while Prada has worked with Anthony Edwards and Caitlin Clark<\/a>. Meanwhile, football\u2019s new wave of fashion-forward athletes in the past few years includes Hugo Ekitike<\/a> and Jules Kound\u00e9 (no surprise they\u2019re both a part of the very fashionable French national team<\/a>). <\/p>\n

In tennis \u2014 arguably the fashion industry\u2019s OG favourite sport \u2014 there has been no shortage of investment from brands seeking to align themselves with top talent as the sport experiences a booming cultural renaissance (and\/or unprecedented interest from influencers, depending on your take). Gucci has signed both Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka as ambassadors, while Louis Vuitton, Bottega Veneta<\/a> and Dior count Carlos Alcaraz, Lorenzo Musetti<\/a> and Qinwen Zheng as partners, respectively. Miu Miu has also struck up a fruitful relationship with Coco Gauff<\/a> via her New Balance endorsement deal, while Lacoste has pushed hard to regain its place in the tennis fashion conversation under creative director Pelagia Kolotouros.<\/p>\n

For various reasons, fashion partnerships in tennis on the women\u2019s side of the tour seem to have had a much greater impact and organic feel. Sinner and Alcaraz have been signed to their respective luxury houses for a good few years now, and it seems relatively little has come of those deals (save for Sinner\u2019s eye-catching announcement of the deal at Wimbledon back in 2023). The impact and depth of Gauff\u2019s Miu Miu relationship, for example, has already yielded far more in terms of reach, coverage, and I\u2019d be willing to bet, actual direct sales of product. <\/p>\n

The simple fact is that some athletes \u2014 despite having lucrative deals and appearing in campaigns when contracted to \u2014 just aren\u2019t interested in this side of things and naturally treat it as they would any of their other commercial obligations. So you can instantly see where interest is organic, e.g. with someone like Gauff (who clearly takes an active role in the design and marketing of her New Balance-Miu Miu products) or someone like Sabalenka (who is visibly delighted with her relationship with Gucci). The same goes for any sport. It\u2019s just unfortunate that in tennis, there is a clear lack of organic interest in fashion from the men\u2019s tour’s top players. <\/p>\n

The ATP (governing body of the men\u2019s tour) has been making efforts to shift this perception, with little luck so far. Since the beginning of the year, the ATP has introduced its own version of tunnel fits, with its \u201cAthlete Arrivals\u201d series, which attempts to turn player arrivals at tournaments into runway or red carpet-style moments. So far, it has left a lot to be desired. <\/p>\n

Jack Draper, the world no.25 player hailing from the UK, is one person bucking the trend on the men\u2019s tour. There is a very strong case that, from a fashion perspective, he might just be the most marketable guy in the sport right now. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Since leaving Nike after his deal expired in July 2025, Draper has steadily scaled his presence in the fashion industry through a series of savvy partnerships and by adopting an organic, easy going brand of content on his personal channels, which sets him apart from his peers. <\/p>\n

He became the first player to sign an apparel deal with Vuori, becoming the inaugural face of the fast-growing California activewear brand\u2019s tennis category and leading its push into the sport. Draper then signed an on-court footwear deal with Asics (since Vuori doesn\u2019t make performance footwear of any kind), maximising his income and visibility by representing two brands on court (and in their marketing efforts) rather than just the one.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Draper modelling for Burberry.<\/p>\n

Beyond savvy sportswear deals, it\u2019s Draper\u2019s fashion partnerships which have served to differentiate his profile, landing him coverage in publications like <\/a>Vogue<\/a>. His role as a Burberry ambassador has seen him lead a cast of fashion-forward British athletes the brand has turned to kickstart its revival in recent years, including the likes of Arsenal\u2019s Eberechi Eze. The deal\u00a0\u2014 active since 2025\u00a0\u2014 has seen Draper star in campaigns and sit front row at the brand\u2019s London Fashion Week shows. <\/p>\n

Draper\u2019s latest deal, announced just last week<\/a>, came in the form of a collaboration with Swedish sneaker label Axel Arigato, under which he co-designed his own editions of three of the brand\u2019s existing silhouettes. The products will hit the market this spring, according to the brand. This level of hands-on integration in a fashion deal is probably mirrored only by Gauff\u2019s Miu Miu relationship, and most likely no one on the men\u2019s tour. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Draper tried his hand at design in his newly announced Axel Arigato collaboration,<\/p>\n

A huge part of Draper\u2019s appeal as a muse and partner to these brands, and of course to his fans, is his personality. He appears in many ways to be a down-to-earth guy who doesn\u2019t take himself too seriously and isn\u2019t afraid to express his interests outside of tennis \u2014 or to get a spontaneous buzz cut<\/a> and turn it into his new look. <\/p>\n

Despite the significant disruption to his promising on-court progress in recent years due to injury, Draper is achieving considerable commercial success as a muse and collaborator to a wide range of brands across the fashion and sportswear industries, thanks to his unique personality on the men\u2019s tour. This is no doubt just the beginning. <\/p>\n

That\u2019s all for today, friends. Thanks for coming along for the ride.<\/p>\n

See you next time,<\/p>\n

DYM<\/p>\n