Three of the top players on the WTA Sanex Tour "refuse
to wear the organization's new apparel patch," according to
Daniel Kaplan of the SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, who writes that
Martina Hingis and Anna Kournikova "did not wear" the Sanex
logo on their outfits at last week's Australian Open, the
first major tournament under Sanex's five-year sponsorship.
Hingis' agent "told tour officials that an endorsement deal
she is close to signing with a Sanex rival precluded her
from wearing the patch." Meanwhile, reps for Venus Williams
-- who has also refused to wear the patch -- and Kournikova
said that their deals with Reebok and adidas, respectively,
"prohibit placing other logos anywhere on their bodies."
Officials at Sanex, which announced its Tour sponsorship in
November, said that they "understood some players would
decline to wear the patch." However, a Sanex rep added that
"it would be inappropriate to comment on Hingis' potential
endorsement with a rival because the details are
undisclosed." Under new rules "implemented" at the
Australian Open, players whose endorsement deals "prohibit
wearing the patch on their dress or shirt can wear it on a
cap or headband." But if a player "does not consistently
wear the patch," she is "required to perform promotional
services for Sanex" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 1/31).
