Nike is significantly reducing its presence in women’s tennis, at least we can conclude that from the number of WTA players that no longer endorse the brand at the start of the 2023 season. The latest former Nike star that enters the new year without the Swoosh on her apparel is the 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens.
As the world No.37 Stephens stepped on the court to play the first round of the ASB Classic in Auckland against Spain’s Rebeka Masarova, we could notice that her outfit had no Nike logo. The Grand Slam champion is the fourth WTA player not to continue her partnership with Nike in 2023, joining Donna Vekic, Marta Kostyuk and Marketa Vondrousova. It looks like Stephens is wearing FP Movement apparel in Auckland, a brand also endorsed by Sofia Kenin, but we can’t confirm that they are her new clothing sponsor.
Stephens’ cooperation with Nike lasted five years, since January 2018. When she triumphed in Flushing Meadows, her clothing sponsor was Under Armour.
