Grigor Dimitrov produced an upset against World No.2 Carlos Alcaraz at the Shanghai Masters 2023. This win meant Alcaraz could not bag his first tournament win since his Wimbledon Championship win in 2023. Dimitrov’s 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 win against the Spaniard was his first win over Alcaraz in four meetings.
But an interesting fact has come up. Grigor Dimitrov is a Lacoste athlete and has some star studded company as Daniil Medvedev and Novak Djokovic wear the same brand. Dimitrov joined a rare group of players who have worn the French brand and achieved success.
Grigor Dimitrov does a Djokovic and Medvedev in Shanghai
Meetings with players wearing Lacoste attire appear to have proven to be a significant obstacle for Carlos Alcaraz in 2023. Alcaraz lost to Djokovic at the French Open as well as the Cincinnati Masters event during the American leg of the season. The 20 year-old also lost to Medvedev in the semi-finals of the US Open. Now, the Spaniard has suffered a defeat in the Shanghai Masters at the hands of Grigor Dimitrov.
Notably, three of Alcaraz’s four losses since Wimbledon 2023 have come at the hands of Lacoste-supporting players with the exception being Jannik Sinner, who is sponsored by Nike just like Alcaraz. It would be fair to say that because of Alcaraz’s loss at the US Open, the Lacoste brand got the most mileage during the US Open final when both the finalists, Daniil Medvedev and Novak Djokovic were wearing the kits of the French manufacturer.
This elite club has been formed due to Alcaraz. It is reminiscent of Novak Djokovic losing to Roger Federer at Wimbledon, Rafael Nadal at French Open and Juan Martin del Potro at the Olympics 2012. Federer, Nadal and del Potro were wearing Nike apparel that year, while Djokovic was in a deal with Uniqlo.
Will Lacoste deal change Dimitrov’s career Novak Djokovic style?
Grigor Dimitrov’s connection with Lacoste could change his fortunes like it did for Novak Djokovic. Djokovic signed a deal with Lacoste back in 2017. The Serbian has reached new heights since signing for Lacoste and this partnership has been profitable for both the parties.
Lacoste appears to target players who could be on the downslide but have the potential to bounce back to become the best in their sport. Dimitrov will hope that is the case with him as well. Some of the other brand ambassadors are Venus Williams, Ruth Mwandumba (the UK shooter), Ashleigh Johnson (the American water polo star) and Marcel Nguyen (German gymnast).
According to Lacoste, the French brand Grigor Dimitrov announced a three-year partnership contract in May 2023, following his nearly decade-long association with American company Nike. The Bulgarian will only wear Lacoste apparel, footwear, and accessories during Tour matches, according to the agreement. Dimitrov has been representing Lacoste since the French Open 2023.
Grigor Dimitrov has some reputed sponsors besides Lacoste such as Wilson, Rolex, Haagen Dazs and Vitamin Well. If Dimitrov wins in Shanghai, it would be the 9th ATP title win of his career and that could land him more endorsements easily as China is the second most populous country in the world. Dimitrov currently has an estimated net worth of $20 million as per Coopwb.
