Tennis player Novak Djokovic has “ended his relationship with CAA Sports
and is shopping for new representation,” according to Daniel Kaplan of
the SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL. Djokovic said, “I ended that contract; I am
without an agency at the moment. … A transition period is kind of going
on right now. I have had a contract with (CAA) I think for four years. …
I tried to work it out, and it was successful, but I think I needed to
move on.” Many tennis insiders believe Djokovic “will land at IMG.”
Kaplan noted fellow players Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer “boast
lucrative endorsement portfolios, almost all of which, if not entirely,
were negotiated by IMG.” Djokovic, however, “has not found the same
market for non-endemic endorsements as Nadal and Federer, and it’s
uncertain if new representation could change that.” Two of his largest
endemic deals, “racket and apparel, were handled by CAA Sports, and the
agency will continue to receive those commissions going forward.” A
source said that his apparel deal with Japanese company Uniqlo, “which
was announced in May, is for the next five years; his Head racket deal
goes for three more years.” Djokovic said, “I am ending most of my
contracts that I had from previous years and now I am actually
negotiating with many companies for the future” (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 8/27 issue).
