IMG today announced that tennis client Petra Kvitova has agreed to an endorsement deal with watchmaker Ritmo Mundo. The two-time Wimbledon champion becomes the first tennis player and individual female athlete to endorse the California-based company. Kvitova, currently ranked No. 4 in the world, will appear in Ritmo Mundo's advertising and social-media campaigns (IMG). BLOOMBERG NEWS' Danielle Rossingh notes the deal is Kvitova's "first with a jewelry brand, and also her first non-apparel U.S. deal." Ritmo Mundo Founder & President Ali Soltani was drawn to Kvitova because she is the "only tennis player -- male or female -- born in the 1990s to have won a major." Soltani did not disclose financial terms of the deal, but he said that the "multiyear deal is 'a significant investment,' for Ritmo Mundo aimed at boosting its international exposure." Kvitova signed with IMG last summer after saying that she "wanted to broaden her endorsement portfolio" (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 4/20). FORBES.com's Roberta Naas notes the deal "begins this month." While Kvitova is the company's first tennis endorser, Ritmo Mundo previously has sponsored "sports stars" in IndyCar, soccer and women's cycling (FORBES.com, 4/20).
