DOWNLOAD THE TENNIS PLAYER BRANDING REPORT
Barcelona, January 2026 — In modern professional tennis, winning matches is no longer enough to build long-term brand value. According to The Tennis Player Branding Report– 2025 Season, released by Tennium – Global Tennis Platform – a player’s ranking does not automatically translate into a strong personal brand — and many top players remain commercially undifferentiated despite elite performance.
“Personal branding is no longer optional in tennis, it is a strategic asset that must be built, managed, and aligned — and perception data is the foundation for doing so.” – says Tennium’s CEO, Kristoff Puelinckx.
The study is based on a global survey of 5,200 tennis fans across nine markets, analyzing how 20 leading ATP players are perceived across performance, personality, and emotional brand attributes. Using advanced perceptual mapping, Tennium identifies clear differences in how players are positioned in the minds of fans — differences that have major implications for brands, players, and the wider tennis ecosystem.
Not All Players Are the Same — Even at the Top
One of the report’s most striking conclusions is that players with similar rankings can have radically different brand profiles.
The analysis identifies four distinct brand positioning areas, ranging from strong brand value players to undifferentiated players, and shows that around half of the players analyzed lack a clearly defined brand identity, despite high awareness and consistent results.
“Brand equity in tennis is not a linear reflection of ranking or titles,” the report concludes. “Without clear differentiation in fan perception, a player’s value to brands and stakeholders remains limited.”
Alcaraz vs. Sinner: Same Success, Different Brands
The report highlights Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner as a clear example of how elite performance can be translated into very different brand identities.
While both players score extremely high on winner and athletic attributes, the perceptual maps show that:
- Alcaraz is more strongly associated with charisma, passion, entertainment, and emotional connection, placing him firmly in the strong brand value
- Sinner, despite comparable sporting success and awareness, shows a more functional and performance-driven profile, with weaker associations on emotional attributes such as charisma and passion.
The conclusion: being world-class is not enough — how that success is perceived amongst core fans matters.
The Monfils Phenomenon
One of the most surprising findings of the study concerns Gaël Monfils. Despite not being positioned among the very top performers in terms of recent results or ranking consistency, Monfils appears clearly differentiated in fan perception. Across the global perceptual maps, he is consistently associated with strong emotional attributes such as entertainment, charisma, and uniqueness, placing him far from the “undifferentiated” central cluster where many players with comparable or better results are located.
This positioning illustrates how a clear identity and emotional connection with fans can sustain a strong perceived brand value independently of performance cycles, reinforcing the idea that brand equity in tennis is not a direct reflection of ranking or titles.
Differentiated, but Not Yet Fully Built: Shelton and Fonseca
The study also identifies younger players such as Ben Shelton and João Fonseca as clearly differentiated, yet still lacking strong brand equity.
- Both players sit away from the “neutral” center of the perceptual maps, indicating distinct positioning.
- However, their current profiles show low awareness and inconsistent emotional associations, limiting their commercial impact today.
Regional analysis further shows that Fonseca is already strongly differentiated in Latin America, where his perception approaches top-tier players, while remaining relatively underdeveloped in the US and Europe — highlighting the importance of market-specific brand strategies.
Why Personal Branding Has Become a Strategic Asset
The report reinforces a broader shift in tennis economics. In 2024, the top 10 highest-paid players generated an average of 68% of their income off court, underlining the growing importance of personal brands in shaping careers and post-career opportunities.
Tennium’s analysis shows that players who combine:
- strong awareness,
- clear emotional attributes,
- and consistent brand identity,
are significantly better positioned to attract sponsors, tournaments, and long-term partnerships — regardless of differences in ranking.
