Australian Open: Cash for Ash as sponsors flock to the Barty party

A $6m summer looms for Ash Barty, who has become the darling of the corporate sector.

Team Barty surrounds the world No 1 after a practice session on Wednesday at the Australian Open tennis tournament. Picture: AAP

A $6m summer looms for Ash Barty, who has become the darling of the corporate sector during her run to the final stages of the Australian Open.

The world No 1 has already pocketed $1.04m for making the semi-finals in Melbourne, but is ­almost certain to have been paid even more for her off-court endorsements during the Australian tennis season.

Barty has been a constant feature of television advertisements, as well as billboards around Melbourne. There is even a large cardboard cut-out of her in the Chemist Warehouse outlet inside Melbourne Park.

It is likely Barty is collecting up to $1.5m this month from her sponsors, who in turn have benefited with plenty of screen time and ­exposure. Sponsorship sources told The Australian that domestic-based sponsors each spend about $100,000 to $200,000 to partner with Barty, and the international companies pay even more.

There are also bonuses built into Barty’s contract, paying her as she progresses through the tournament and providing her with a good payday should she win it.

If that happens, Barty would collect a $4.12m winner’s cheque. With her endorsements, the 23-year-old would likely top the $6m earnings mark in Australia alone — making it one of the most lucrative domestic summers ever for any Australian athlete.

It would also take her past ­Samantha Stosur as Australia’s all-time leading female prizemoney winner with $28.81m, well within sight of Lleyton Hewitt’s $30.88m.

Barty’s ubiquitous commercial presence has not been lost on her, as she noted after her quarter-final win against Petra Kvitova on Tuesday. “Obviously I (have) got some pretty good partners, some pretty good sponsors. I’m proud of each and every one,” she said.

“When I do see myself, I kind of laugh a little bit because I feel ­pretty goofy doing them. Yeah, it’s all in good fun.”

Luxury car company Jaguar is the biggest brand on Barty’s shirt, with Australian icon Vegemite sitting just underneath and next to the logo of Italian-founded and Korean-owned apparel maker Fila. She uses racquets made by Head, a US-Dutch sports firm.

Barty has also been in advertisements for Disney, has a limited edition watch named after her — the HyperChrome Ashleigh Barty — by Swiss luxury timepiece company Rado, and has endorsement deals with Banana Boat sunscreen and Tourism Australia. She has also featured in Uber Eats ads during the Australian Open.

All are undoubtedly happy to be associated with Barty at this time of year.

“Ash is an extraordinary ambassador and we are proud to support her throughout the summer of tennis,” said Vegemite’s senior marketing manager, Matt Gray.

“Ash has had an incredible start to 2020 and we can’t wait to cheer her on in the semi-final.”

While her management team would not comment, a source close to the Barty camp said their sponsorship strategy had been to work with brands she has a “genuine connection to and love for” with a focus on “quality over quantity and relationships that last for the long term”.

That has resulted in a mixture of Australian family-focused companies and global luxury brands, though experts say the latter category is going to be an increasing money-spinner for Barty the longer she holds the No 1 ranking.

Having ended 2019 as No 1 means the Women’s Tennis ­Association will pay Barty a $US1m ($1.48m) bonus for appearing at nine major WTA events this year. She will also receive appearance fees for some tournaments.

Then there is the fact that eight WTA events are played in China annually, many of which will feature Barty and provide her with potentially excellent commercial connections.

“The WTA is the best women’s organisation in terms of monetising their stars,” says Peter Johnston, a former WTA official who now runs tournaments such as the Kooyong Classic.

“So the opportunities will come to Ash, whether she is taken there by the WTA or otherwise, if for example she has more of a presence on Chinese social media. If she wins here in Australia and stays at No 1 for a sustained period of time, she will be one of the WTA’s big names and promoted heavily.”

London-based Gemba director Rob Mills, who heads the Turnstile business that specialises in accurately valuing global sponsorships, said Barty’s endorsement deal with Fila, for example, had two components: on-court exposure provided by her wearing their ­apparel and footwear, and intellectual property rights.

“If Fila, or their competitors, believe that she can sustain a similar level of performance, her market value will be approximately $US2.2m a year for her next sports brand deal,” Mr Mills said.

“As her global brand grows, the value of her intellectual property will increase.”