Now that Novak Djokovic "has surpassed his rivals Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer on the tennis court," he hopes to join those two "in areas such as endorsements, fame and global exposure," according to a front-page piece by Greg Bishop of the N.Y. TIMES. As his career-best season continues, the "next phase -- making Djokovic a household name, among the world’s biggest sports stars -- will continue next week" at the U.S. Open. While he has risen to No. 1 in the world, Djokovic "still lags behind Nadal and Federer in terms of popularity and endorsements." Nielsen Sports, which combined with E-Poll to create the N-score measurement, tested Djokovic in November '10 and in a "random sample of 1,100 -- half were show his name; the other half his picture -- his awareness level" stood at 6%. After winning Wimbledon in July, Djokovic again scored 6% in awareness but his N-score rose from 12 to 14 "because those who did know Djokovic really liked him." Nielsen Sports VP Stephen Master said Djokovic had the "highest appeal level" of any tennis player. But his N-score "most closely resembled that of James Blake, far behind Americans past and present, including Andy Roddick, Andre Agassi and John McEnroe." The N-score "does not account for Djokovic's worldwide popularity, which is far higher" than in the U.S., but it "does account for the renewed emphasis in regard to his recent marketing strategy." Bishop notes it "takes time to appear on national talk shows, time to sift through marketing pitches, time to pursue Djokovic’s next dream, acting, in Hollywood." The "task of coordinating the effort to boost his image falls to Goran Djokovic, Novak's uncle and chief marketing strategist." This week alone, Goran "planned 30 to 40 business meetings," while Djokovic's new publicist, Edoardo Artaldi, handled the "30 or so daily media requests" (N.Y TIMES, 8/26).
SHARP DRESSED MAN: Djokovic earlier this week discused his clothing deal with Sergio Tacchini with CNBC's Darren Rovell, and he said, “They had so many No. 1’s in the world and then they had this maybe 15-20 year gap where they didn't have that much success. ... That's why I am really honored to be a part of that brand who had a lot of No. 1’s and to be able to relive the brand. To be able to become No. 1 with Tacchini ... is even bigger pleasure” (“Fast Money,” CNBC, 8/24).
