Wickmayer Signs Deal With Donnay As Part Of Brand Revival

By Daniel Kaplan, Staff Writer, SportsBusiness Journal

Wickmayer Signs Deal To Use Donnay Rackets

Yanina Wickmayer, the 15th-ranked women’s tennis player and a '09 U.S. Open semifinalist, is switching tennis rackets from Babolat to Donnay, the Belgium company plans to announce on Monday. Wickmayer is Belgian. Donnay as a brand has essentially been collecting dust, said Wickmayer’s agent Olivier van Lindnock of IMG. But corporate parent Dunlop wants to resuscitate it and the Wickmayer signing is the first step, he said. He declined to disclose terms other than to say it is a very good deal for his client. As a Donnay brand ambassador, Wickmayer joins an array of tennis icons to have played with the racket including Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg and Andre Agassi. To celebrate Donnay’s centennial anniversary, Wickmayer will use a specially designed black and gold racket featuring the 100 year logo and a Belgian flag to mark the birthplace of the racket.