Marion Bartoli and her sweet teeth gnawed at the inconsistent game of top-seed Jelena Jankovic in their fourth round match at the Australian Open. The sixteenth-seed used her piercing two-handed groundstrokes and powerful returns of serve to put the Serb on the defensive throughout the 6-1, 6-4 match.
No more Reebok: Ms. Jankovic and Reebok didn’t renew their contract (which expired at the end of 2008), and instead she signed an agreement with ANTA Sports, a company based in Fujian, China with a logo surprisingly similar to Diadora‘s. (What is it with Chinese companies aping this stuff?) They’ll team up to develop a range of products under the “JJ” brand.
Their first outing wasn’t so bad — an homage to Australian sports in the form of a green empire waist baby doll dress printed with a yellow logo. She accessorized with white shoes and a three-color wristband.
(images via Getty Images)
Oy. I was misinformed. Yes, thanks, Allison.
I LOVE THESE COLORS! Too bad JJ is just a tanker. Really, I’m starting to think this girl will NEVER win a major 😐 And that’s coming from a big fan…
I really liked the color and I liked the flowing movement of the dress. But I’m not a fan of the babydoll style – it’s out of date. And I couldn’t understand the back of that dress… Meanwhile Marion’s outfit was decked out with so many logos, ala NASCAR.
Thanks for clearing it up, Allison!
Nope, far from that. According to Sports Business Journal the deal is 3 years at $5.1 million.
http://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/article/61169
I heard this was the top female-athlete endorsement deal ever, beating Venus’ Reebok contract (which was $40mil/5yrs, I think). Truth?
my money says the chinese can mass-produce the knockoffs at a cheaper price. (note the political sarcasm)