Asics has signed 12-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic to a global footwear deal, and the company will begin activating around the new partnership during the lead up to the Australian Open, which starts Monday. Asics did not to disclose terms of the contract. Djokovic last year signed with Lacoste for apparel, but left the footwear category open. It is not uncommon in tennis for athletes to sign separate contracts for footwear and apparel. “We want to be number one in the tennis footwear globally, and partnering with Novak is a great part of the strategy to win this category,” said Asics CMO Paul Miles, who added the company is the No. 1 tennis footwear brand in several European markets. Miles negotiated the deal for Asics and said the company plans a digital and social media global campaign around Djokovic. Asics already has several top tennis players under contract, including Coco Vandeweghe, David Goffin and Gael Monfils. Those deals are for both footwear and apparel. Djokovic, the former world No. 1, is currently ranked 14th in the world. He is represented by IMG, a division of Endeavor.
