World No. 1 Iga Swiatek has signed up to be a global ambassador for Visa, making history in the process. She is now the first tennis player ever to collaborate with the world’s second-largest card payment organization, who are also the official partner to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
International Management Group (IMG), who have represented the four-time Major winner for nearly a year now, took to their Instagram handle earlier on Thursday (17 August) to disclose the deal. In their caption, the agency congratulated her for the deal before disclosing that no other tennis player had partnered with Visa prior to their Polish client in the history of the sport.
IMG also stated that Swiatek will be working with sportspersons that are signed up with Visa ahead of the 2024 Games.
“Congratulations Iga Swiatek on being named the new Global Ambassador for Visa! Iga is the first-ever global tennis player to partner with Visa and will work with other athletes at #TeamVisa ahead of the 2024 Paris games,” IMG wrote on their social media.
Iga Swiatek’s marketability has only grown ever since the American global sports agency took her under their wing. Apart from the Visa deal, they have also negotiated sponsorship deals with On on her behalf.
It should be noted that before her stint with IMG, Swiatek had employed fellow Pole Paula Wojtowicz as her manager. Under Wojtowicz, the 22-year-old signed partnership deals with Rolex, Asics, Red Bull, Technifibre and Lexus.
Iga Swiatek will be looking to hit top gear before US Open 2023
Iga Swiatek has had a good season in 2023, registering a 51-8 win-loss record on the WTA Tour so far. The 22-year-old has won four titles this season, with her most recent title coming in front of her home crowd at the Warsaw Open.
The Pole, however, is not as dominant as she was in 2022 — during which she won seven titles, including the French Open and the US Open. She also won a whopping 15 consecutive matches against top 10 opposition last year, against only two losses.
Swiatek has been outmatched by WTA’s top 10 opposition at a relatively higher rate in 2023, though. She has accumulated a mediocre 5-5 win/loss record against top 10 players, which includes her loss to then World No. 4 Jessica Pegula in three sets in the semifinals of last week’s Canadian Open.
Iga Swiatek will be looking to go deep at the ongoing Cincinnati Open to get in proper rhythm for her US Open defense. Having defeated USA’s Danielle Collins handily, she will have a good litmus test for her game when she faces the fast-rising Qinwen Zheng in the third round later on Thursday.
