Sources said that Under Armour, as soon as this week, will announce it is signing tennis player Andy Murray to an endorsement contract, by far the biggest name in the sport the Baltimore-based sportswear company would have inked. Murray's adidas contract expires Dec. 31. His first time wearing any UA gear in competition would be at an exhibition in Abu Dhabi in early January. Murray, who in '13 became the first Brit in 77 years to win Wimbledon, has been with adidas for five years, and before that the U.K.-based Fred Perry brand. Lagardere Unlimited agent John Tobias, who serves as Murray's marketing agent, declined to comment. Tobias negotiated the deal with his colleague, Donald Dell. The deal is believed to roughly match Murray's previous adidas deal of about $3.5M per year, but with a mixture of stock and cash. However, tennis deals are tricky to value, because they are frequently pegged to where a player is ranked and to how well he or she performs at major events. If the UA deal is a traditional tennis contract, payments to Murray would dip if his world ranking were to slide. UA does not currently make tennis sneakers, but it is believed to have one under development that Murray would wear sometime in '15. Until then, he will wear adidas sneakers. Murray joins a small, but growing group of UA tennis endorsers that includes Sloane Stephens -- who is also represented by Lagardere. UA's int'l business remains small, but is growing, so Murray offers a marketing platform in places where tennis is popular, such as Europe and Asia. UA also could help Murray expand his own brand within the U.S., something his agency is eyeing.
