Why Generational Greats from Small Markets Still Struggle to Become Global Icons
CREDIT: SportBusiness
The Paradox of Dominance
Since 2004, players from Central and Eastern Europe have won nearly one-third of all Grand Slam titles in women’s tennis. These include dominant champions like Iga Świątek, Elena Rybakina, Jeļena Ostapenko, and Markéta Vondroušová. Despite their on-court brilliance, their global visibility and endorsement portfolios lag far behind their Western European or American counterparts.
The reasons go beyond performance. They’re rooted in geopolitics, economics, cultural perception—and, still today, gender.
“For these girls’ agents, their market was too small or too underdeveloped in athlete sponsorship to market them efficiently in terms of revenue,” says Géraldine Filiol, co-founder of WomanUp.
The Outdated Blueprint
The “beauty-first” media template that made stars out of Anna Kournikova and Maria Sharapova has never been sustainable—nor fair. Sharapova was a dominant force, yet her marketability was still deeply tied to her appearance. Outside of her, few Eastern European women in tennis have turned success into global brand recognition.
Today’s tennis landscape is evolving, and Iga Świątek is redefining what visibility looks like.
Iga Świątek: The Modern Blueprint
Świątek is a case study in how an athlete from a small market can achieve global resonance by staying authentic. She’s not building her brand with glamour shots or glitzy media appearances. Instead, she’s winning, reading, building Lego, and supporting STEM education.
Her partnerships—Lego, Infosys, and Lancôme—are aligned with her identity, not imposed onto it. Świątek shows that quiet strength, purpose, and narrative consistency can drive commercial value in today’s sport economy.
“Token marketing doesn’t work anymore,” says Jonathan Dasnières de Veigy of Octagon. “Authenticity does.”
The Enduring Disadvantage
Despite Świątek and Aryna Sabalenka’s global emergence, many others—like 2024 Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejčíková—are still battling to turn elite achievement into mainstream fame.
The bottom line? Women from small or politically complicated markets have to do more to earn the same attention. That includes dominating the court, creating their own storylines, and finding partners who share their values—not just their fame.
The Rivalry Equation
Rivalries make stars. Djokovic needed Federer and Nadal. Clijsters and Henin made each other. Without ongoing rivalries, even the best athletes risk being overlooked.
Świątek and Sabalenka have the raw ingredients for such a dynamic, but their narrative arc is still developing.
“You need to convince marketers that little girls want to relate to different types of women,” says Dasnières de Veigy.
Consulting Insight from 365247 Media
At 365247 Media, we help athletes, agents, and federations build transcendent sports brands—especially those from emerging or overlooked markets.
Our expertise includes:
- Athlete storytelling strategy
- Global sponsorship positioning
- Personal brand identity development
- Market-entry consulting for brands entering small or complex markets
- Audience building through digital-first narratives
Whether you’re managing a top-10 WTA player or representing a rising star in need of commercial traction, we create data-driven brand architecture that honors authenticity while unlocking global appeal.
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IMAGE: Forbes
CREDIT: SportBusiness
