Emma Raducanu has been the face of Vodafone for a while but she won't be that at this year's Wimbledon event.
There have been two pivotal moments in the career of Emma Raducanu so far. Her Wimbledon run to the 4th round put her on the map as an upcoming young player who might do a few things in the future. It quickly established her as the face of British WTA tennis which hasn't had a really great player since Johanna Konta retired.
Nobody really expected that she would do 'the thing' just months later. Out of nowhere, Raducanu became the first qualifier to ever win a Grand Slam event at the 2021 US Open. She was amazing and the win opened up so many possibilities for her. She signed multiple endorsement deals including one with Vodafone. The deal was reportedly worth 3 million.
She was supposed to be the face of the brand at this year's Wimbledon but she has now been removed from that role. It comes because Raducanu won't be a player at the event as she underwent triple surgery recently which will keep her out of the sport for a while. Her replacement will be the leading British wheelchair tennis doubles pairing.
When Emma pulled out, we didn't know what to do. But it led to a perfect opportunity to use Alfie and Gordon, who were already part of the Vodafone family. To have them as our main ambassadors feels as if we have managed to make some good out of a bad situation.
Raducanu herself didn't lose her endorsement deal as she'll still continue as a brand ambassador when she returns from her injuries. It makes sense because her popularity hasn't dropped off one bit since she won the US Open.
In many ways, the struggles on the court elevated her profile even more. The coverage has been mostly negative but as long as it doesn't impact her endorsement deals, it doesn't seem like she will care.
Emma is still one of Vodafone's valued ambassadors. She will continue to play a key role in our Wimbledon campaign alongside Alfie, Gordon and Jack Draper.
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