8 tennis stars named most marketable athletes in the world - Alcaraz and Sinner not No.1
Eight tennis players have been named among the world's most marketable athletes, and one star claimed the top spot.
Eight tennis stars have been named among the world’s most marketable athletes in 2026, with one of them coming in at No. 1. SportsPro released their annual list of the world’s 50 most marketable athletes earlier this week, with several top tennis players named alongside the likes of Erling Haaland and Charles Leclerc. While Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner were among those in the top 50, they couldn’t claim the top spot. Instead, Aryna Sabalenka was named the most marketable athlete in the world – despite losing her No. 1 ranking and failing to win a Grand Slam title this year. Here, Express Sport takes a look at the eight players who made it onto the list…
Novak Djokovic - 46th
The 24-time Grand Slam champion came in at No. 46 of 50 in the SportsPro list. Djokovic started the season by reaching the Australian Open final – his first Major final since 2024 – and he recently picked up his 102nd career title in Beijing. Off the court, he became an investor and co-founder of Cob Foods, a snack brand created with sorghum, a gluten- and corn-free grain. Djokovic also released a Prime Video documentary, Novak Djokovic: The Wolf in Winter. And he continued long-term partnerships with the likes of Lacoste, Head, and Hublot. The Serbian superstar scored 60.55 out of SportsPro’s 100-point NorthStar ‘marketability score’, which is broken down into three pillars – brand equity, momentum, and commercial trajectory. Brand equity shows “strong, trusted and far-reaching” an athlete’s brand is today, and Djokovic got 34.95 out of 45. Momentum reflects how quickly an athlete’s value is growing right now, while trajectory indicates how much room there still is for commercial growth. Djokovic scored 19.81 out of 40 for momentum and 5.79 for commercial trajectory. (Image: Getty)
Jannik Sinner - 35th
The Italian came in at 35th, scoring a total 63.78 out of 100 overall, and 32.66 for brand equity, 17.46 for momentum, and 13.66 for commercial trajectory. On the court, Sinner successfully defended his Wimbledon title this year and became the first player to win the first five Masters 1000 tournaments of the season. But he has not played a match since July due to a knee injury and has ended his 2026 season altogether, meaning he will lose his No. 1 ranking to Alexander Zverev. Sinner works with several high-profile brands. For attire and rackets, he’s with Nike and Head. He’s also an ambassador for the likes of Gucci, Rolex, Lavazza, La Roche-Posay, Parmigiano Reggiano, and is a ‘friend of’ Formula One. (Image: Getty)
Coco Gauff - 32nd
Just a few places higher, Gauff ranked No. 32 with an overall score of 64.07, and brand equity, momentum and commercial trajectory scores of 37.89, 14.54, and 11.64 respectively. This season, the 22-year-old won a WTA 1000 title in Cincinnati, reached the Indian Wells final, and got to the semis of Wimbledon and the US Open. Gauff works with New Balance, Head, Mercedes-Benz, Carol’s Daughter, and Naked Juice. This year, she produced two short documentaries with Tennis Channel, and she recently featured in Gunna’s music video for Pop It. (Image: Getty)
Naomi Osaka - 21st
Back in 2019, Osaka came in at the top of SportsPro’s most marketable athlete list. This year, she’s ranked 21st with an overall marketability score of 66.88, broken down into 35.78, 28.48, and 2.62 for brand equity, momentum and commercial trajectory. The world No. 18 enjoyed success away from her usual preferred surface of hard courts this year, reaching the Bad Homburg final, Wimbledon quarter-finals, and the last 16 at the French Open. Earlier this year, Osaka left Evolve, the management company she founded with long-time agent Stuart Duguid, to return to IMG. The four-time Grand Slam champion continues to enjoy a special relationship with Nike, allowing her to wear custom kits. This year, she also played with her walk-on looks at the Majors. Osaka added to her brand portfolio this year, linking up with Tatcha, Olly Wellness, and ZICO. (Image: Getty)
Iga Swiatek - 17th
Swiatek was unable to win a Grand Slam title or qualify for the WTA Finals this year, but she still lifted a WTA 1000 title in Toronto. And she ranked 17th on SportsPro’s list, with an overall score of 67.17, and 29.49 for brand equity, 23.65 for momentum, and 14.03 for commercial trajectory. The six-time Grand Slam champion has deals with On, Technifibre, Rolex, Oral B, Visa and Infosys, and some brands close to her heart – Lego and Polish drinks brand Oshee. (Image: Getty)
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