Perfect fit

Raducanu's rise from obscurity to having her face plastered on Times Square billboards will have the sportswear brands vying for her signature.

After Osaka won back-to-back Grand Slam titles in 2018 and 2019, Nike reportedly paid $10 million to take her from rival Adidas.

Raducanu's appeal goes beyond the court, according to Conrad Wiacek, head of sport analysis at Global-Data. "Her victory takes her way beyond tennis and sport in terms of marketability," he told Reuters.

"One of the most impressive things for me was her message in Mandarin for the Chinese audience because the major issue western sports stars have in breaking China is the language barrier.

"The sky is the limit as any western brand positioning itself in China would be looking at her as an ambassador."

Wiacek expects Raducanu's Nike sponsorship deal to be raised significantly and other endorsements will earn her about $10 million over the next two years.

"With her Chinese and Eastern Europe heritage as well as Britain, that puts her in a different stratosphere to other athletes," he said. "I've seen it being thrown around that she's a potential billion-dollar athlete. That's a long way away.

"That's based on consistency but just on the next 12 months I would say $5 million would be a realistic number. Ultimately the barometer for how commercially successful she will be will depend on how successful she is on the tennis court."

Raducanu is represented by super-agent Max Eisenbud, who helped turn Russian Maria Sharapova into the highest-earning female athlete after she won Wimbledon aged 17, with off-court career earnings of around $320 million.

However, the pitfalls in professional tennis are numerous. Osaka, another IMG athlete, has struggled to cope with the sudden fame.

Lopez says striking the right balance between on-court and off-court activities will be a key factor in Raducanu achieving her full potential.

"People need to give the girl a chance to consolidate what she's done and not to heap too much pressure on too soon," he said.

"Focus on mental well-being, then sporting well-being and the financial rewards will certainly follow."

Reuters