Novak Djokovic: Serbian Superstar Wise to Part Ways with Sub-Par Sponsor

Novak Djokovic boosted his resume this week.

Sure, he lost to Rafael Nadal in the 2012 Italian Open—big deal. That’s small change compared to the addition that Djoker gained by subtraction.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell reported that Djokovic parted ways with sponsor Sergio Tacchini.

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Sources tell CNBC that Tacchini was able to sign Djokovic by offering him a smaller guarantee than the larger companies would pay, but promised bigger should he do well. When Djokovic kept winning, the company fell behind on payments to the tennis star.

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Good for Djokovic. The No. 1 tennis player in the world deserves to rock more reputable gear. Forget Tacchini—I’d bet money that Djokovic has already taken a phone call from Nike.

Tacchini was doomed from the get-go. The small brand beat the odds by signing the superstar, but failed to establish a successful business blueprint. He couldn’t pay Djokovic because he often failed to complete the simple take of distributing his product.

According to a CNBC insider, when he did manage to deliver the product, money created even more problems:

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There were constant fights between the Tacchini reps in Italy and the United States. Those battles were centered around disagreements over money owed by distributors, priority given to European stores on shipments, and suggested prices that priced out much of the marketplace. Tacchini polo shirts often retailed for $80, $20 more than a Nike tennis shirt of a similar make.

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And as a cheap shopper, I will attest to the fact that nothing is more annoying than when an inferior company such as Tacchini’s sells for significantly higher prices than a prestigious brand like Nike’s. Again, he was doomed from the get-go.

Djokovic will enter the 2012 French Open representing a different brand for the first time since 2009. We’ll see if the change is what he needed to defeat Nadal on clay.

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.

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