Carlos Alcaraz Loses Out to Alex Eala in Nike Merchandise Sales

Carlos Alcaraz Loses Out to Alex Eala in Nike Merchandise Sales

Alex Eala has achieved a remarkable feat related to her Nike sponsorship, leaving top tennis stars Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in the dust.

Eala has been sponsored by Nike since her breakthrough on the WTA Tour, and the sportswear giant has continued to support her through her rise up the rankings. The 21-year-old also has partnerships with Globe Telecom, Bank of the Philippine Islands, and others, while she was appointed as the face of Marriott Bonvoy's 'Tennis The World' campaign for the Asia Pacific (excluding China) region following her maiden WTA 500 title win at the Washington Open. Nike sponsor a host of top tennis stars including Alcaraz, Sinner, and Naomi Osaka, while they also have a long-standing partnership with Rafael Nadal. Eala has been training at Nadal's academy in Spain since 2018.

What happened?

On Tuesday morning, Nike released their latest new player merchandise, including a black Eala T-shirt that was available for $42. The shirt remarkably sold out within hours, with New York Times reporter Jessica Schiffer noting that, at the time, no other new merchandise for other players had sold out. As of Thursday, new arrivals for Sinner and Alcaraz had not sold out on the Nike website. There are nine reviews of Eala's T-shirt on the website - most of them asking for the shirt to be made available to purchase again before the US Open.

Why it matters for Carlos Alcaraz

Eala's impressive sales feat is a significant blow to Alcaraz's reputation as a top tennis star. Alcaraz, who has been sponsored by Nike since his breakthrough on the ATP Tour, has struggled to match Eala's sales figures in recent months. The 22-year-old's partnership with Nike has been a key factor in his success, but it appears that Eala's popularity is starting to eclipse his own.

What comes next?

Eala is set to play in the women's singles and mixed doubles events at the US Open, having been granted a wildcard to team with Felix Auger Aliassime. She will enter the main draw of the women's singles event and, though not yet officially confirmed, is likely to be one of the 32 seeded players as she is listed as number 29 on the entry list. Eala is now up to world number 18 after reaching the round of 32 at the ongoing Cincinnati Open.

Key Takeaways:

• Alex Eala's new Nike T-shirt sold out within hours, leaving Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in the dust.
• Eala's impressive sales feat is a significant blow to Alcaraz's reputation as a top tennis star.
• Alcaraz has struggled to match Eala's sales figures in recent months, despite his partnership with Nike.

Nike Merchandise Sales Stats

Stats table only includes data from the source article.