After making her way into the US Open final with some phenomenal performances, Coco Gauff has truly shown that hard work and determination can take you places. Yet, giving credit where credit is due, Tony Godsick, the American who has managed the business affairs of 20-Grand Slam titlist Roger Federer since 2005, teamed up with Gauff when she was 13 years old.
Godsick plans for the long haul and the trick is, “You don’t chase everything.” Team8 has been meticulously protecting the young talent ever since her magical week at Wimbledon in 2019. Yet, even after being this close to Federer, Coco is keeping Federer’s investment in the On brand at bay to stay with a direct rival.
Coco Gauff decides to ditch Roger Federer-backed company for a $5.3 billion chance
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Since Gauff has become the face of the sport and fans feel connected to her, she has been offered a lot of brand endorsements. One of the companies that was able to capture her signature early in her career was New Balance, a company whose current net worth is $5.3 billion. She signed her first deal with them when she was 14 and now has entered into a long-term extension with them.
Coco, without a second thought, made the deal with the brand. This is surprising because Coco is being managed by Roger’s company Team8, and Roger also owns a part of On Running, which is a direct competitor of New Balance.
Everyone expected that since she was working closely with Roger, she would prefer On Running over New Balance. But that’s not what happened. Coco decided to stay loyal to the brand.
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Not just that, New Balance was so impressed with Coco Gauff being with them that they even launched a pair of shoes dedicated just to her.
New Balance launched a pair of shoes dedicated to their brand ambassador Gauff
Evan Zeder, who is the head of tennis sports marketing at New Balance, said that Coco Gauff has made a huge impact on their company. This is the reason why they have launched this pair. It is referred to as the ‘Coco CG1.’ They mentioned that the inspiration behind the same is Coco’s off-court style and the influence she has over her fans.
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As reported by Forbes, after she was inked a “long-term extension” with the Boston-based brand in 2022, Gauff lamented the reasons, “New Balance has supported me since my junior tennis years and has been by my side for the biggest moments of my career. The team feels like family, so it was an easy decision to extend with a team that has embraced me as a person and genuinely works to help bring out my best.”
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Since Coco is in a long-term sponsorship deal with the company, it doesn’t look like she will be switching to On Running anytime soon.
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