- Kyle Edmund’s Australian Open success can spark multi-million-pound boom
- Industry insiders say there’s a gap with Andy Murray’s career coming to an end
- Getting to semi-finals boosted career earnings of £1.5m by around £500,000
Kyle Edmund’s run to the semi-finals of the Australian Open can spark a multi-million-pound boom for the 23-year-old Brit.
Industry insiders say there is a gap in the market with Andy Murray, 30, coming towards the end of his career and likeable Englishman Edmund can fill it.
The young Yorkshireman was beaten 6-2, 7-6, 6-2 by Croatian sixth seed Marin Cilic in Melbourne on Thursday but boosted his career earnings of £1.5million by around £500,000.
Kyle Edmund’s run to semi-finals of the Australian Open can spark a multi-million-pound boom
And that can just be the start for Edmund, who is set to rise to world No 27 on Monday and will now attract considerable attention at Wimbledon this year.
‘British tennis is on the look-out for a new male star to boost the appeal of the game beyond the Murray era,’ James Melville, director at the sponsorship agency Ninety-Five, told Sportsmail. ‘Now that Edmund has reached the semi-finals of a Grand Slam, his commercial appeal is going to be huge.
‘He’s gone from someone who was only known in tennis circles to someone who will have mainstream appeal. That represents a huge opportunity for companies to sponsor him as he’s likely to have another decade at the top of the game. His on-court earnings have huge potential, but this also applies off court as he now has the potential to receive seven-figure sums from sponsors.’
Industry insiders say there’s a gap in market with Andy Murray coming towards end of career
Edmund has signed a multi-million-pound deal with Nike. It was the biggest of its kind for a British player not called Murray since Tim Henman’s reign.
And the more mainstream Edmund becomes, the more brands will look to sign him up, including watch, car, clothing, food and drink companies. ‘It’s about managing the demands from sponsors versus how much time he is willing to give up,’ Melville added. ‘Murray struck the right balance — he’s got a portfolio of sponsors but he’s been very careful in who he has chosen.
‘Edmund has to get it right. He should look to Murray to provide a template on juggling the demands of tennis and commercial commitments.
‘He cannot lose sight of what the No 1 priority is and that is playing tennis. Because the better he does on court, the better he will do in terms of commercial opportunities off the court.’
Edmund, who will be ranked No 27 next week, has signed a multi-million-pound deal with Nike