‘We Will Not Continue With the Sponsorship’ – More Bad News for Novak Djokovic as He Loses a Major Sponsor

2022 has been a pretty bad year for the 20-time Grand Slam champion, Novak Djokovic. First, he wasn’t allowed to defend his Australian Open title and had his visa canceled. Then, he lost his no.1 ranking to Daniil Medvedev after losing in the Quarter-finals at Dubai Open. The bad news keeps coming, as the Serb lost his long-time sponsor recently.  

After the debacle at the Australian Open, there were several rumors about Djokovic potentially losing many of his sponsors. However, we saw the logos of his sponsors on his shirt at the Dubai Open. Peugeot, which first associated with Djokovic in 2014, decided to end their relationship. 

Peugeot cuts off sponsorship with Novak Djokovic

According to recent reports, the Serbian lost one of his biggest sponsors in Peugeot. The automobile company has been one of the main sponsors of Djokovic over the past eight years. Novak had many credible sponsorships and deals with various brands like Hublot, Lacoste, Peugeot, and others ever since his reign began on the ATP tour.  

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After the Australian Open, Peugeot said they would stick with the tennis player despite all the controversy. However, it seems like they changed their mind pretty quickly as the CEO of Peugeot, Carlos Tavares, announced the news. “No, we will not continue with the sponsorship of Djokovic,” Tavares said in a press conference recently.

(Quotes are translated using Google Translate)  

More trouble awaits for the Serb with French clothing brand Lacoste said they will review their deal with Djokovic.  

What’s next for Novak?

Currently, we still don’t know the exact reason why Peugeot ended their partnership with the 20-time major champion. Speculations are rife that Peugeot ended the deal as they suffered immensely during the pandemic and cannot afford to sponsor Djokovic under the current circumstances. 

Coming to tennis, Djokovic is also not sure about his next tournament. He puts his name for the initial entry list in Miami Masters but he might not be able to play the ‘Sunshine Double’ owing to the vaccination guidelines. 

This year could get worse for the Serbian as his firm stance could prove fatal to his future on the ATP tour. Usually, March is a big month for both the ATP and WTA tours, with Indian Wells and Miami Masters taking place from 9th March to 4th April. Unfortunately, Djokovic could very well miss both the events before the action shifts to the European clay season.

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