Murray minted: Andy Murray set to be one of world's highest-earning sports stars following Wimbledon victory
British number one could earn £15m-a-year
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Your support makes all the difference.Andy Murray is set to become one of the highest-paid sports stars in the world after becoming the first British man to win Wimbledon in 76 years.
According to Nigel Currie, a director of Brand Rapport, the 26-year-old could at least double his off court earnings. “Tennis remains one of the few truly global sports,” he said. “His current off-court earnings of £8m a year could increase to more than £15m.”
Others think this is a conservative estimate, with Murray’s profile already high following his US Open win last year.
Scott Barcley, a lecturer in sport business and management at the University of West Scotland, said that Murray “will easily enter sport's rich list” with at least £17m earned this year, in addition to his £1.6m Wimbledon prize money.
“Personally I would be convinced that his contract with Adidas - presently £15m over three years - will have a performance-related increase as Brand Murray becomes an even more recognised in markets such as the Far East,” he said.
Marcus Jon, the global head of sport at marketing advertising agency Media.com, points to non-sporting areas such as telecoms and banking as new areas for Murray to exploit. Murray’s agent Simon Fuller would be looking at companies such as Coca-Cola and Visa as possible partners, Mr Jon said. “This is his time to capitalise on the potential of very lucrative sponsorship deals. A win could potentially be worth £25m in additional sponsorship, particularly if his marketing team embrace the global markets available.”
The British public’s obsession with Wimbledon gives a British win added significance, Mr Jon said. British companies would seek to use Murray’s increased exposure to build brand awareness abroad. Murray the Wimbledon Champion can easily become Murray the unofficial ambassador for Britain.
While the £17m he earns this year is still less than Federer’s estimated £32m-a-year income, and Murray’s £100m lifetime earnings estimate lower than Federer’s £190m, Nigel Currie points out that Federer is nearing retirement and Rafael Nadal is increasingly plagued by injury. “Marketers are seeing Murray as a face for the future,” he said.
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