FILA Assembles an A-Team

The beginning of 2012 saw a rejuvenation of the Italian manufacturer, Fila, which signed some very respected tennis ambassadors, thus strengthening its presence on the tennis courts. Armed with its newly acquired spokespersons, the Australian Open provided an excellent opportunity for the brand to increase its visibility, especially on the women's side. What I like about this company is the fact that it does not rely on big names only, their team of designers putting forward another collection which maintains the vintage playful vibe, while being cool, vibrant and fresh. The strategy proved successful and, although it cannot compete with giants Adidas or Nike, Fila is gaining ground on smaller sportswear rivals such as Sergio Tacchini, Asics, Lacoste or K-Swiss.
The recent rise of Italian providers is also emphasized by Lotto, which now relies on three prime female competitors, i.e. veteran Francesca Schiavone, Pole Agnieszka Radwanska and Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli, all ranked inside the top 15 players of the world.

Oldies but goldies

Kim Clijsters is by far the biggest name in Fila's portfolio. She has been the leading lady for more than a decade now, carrying the brand's name throughout most of her illustrious career. The collaboration was interrupted by the Belgian's two year hiatus, but she showed her loyalty, resuming the deal in 2009 with even more success. She reinforced her credentials once more in Melbourne, being their only representative still left in the competition.

Another member of the old squad is Australian Jelena Dokic. The former world number 5 has been a loyal Fila endorser throughout the years. After enduring months of trials and tribulations, she is also gathering momentum in her comeback after an encouraging 2010 season. Jelena's dress is, in my opinion, once of the greatest pieces of their 2012 collection.

Svetlana Kuznetsova is another Fila household name. Even though she is struggling with some poor performances lately, the two times Grand Slam champion remains a key figure in women's tennis. Style wise, the Russian is by far not the greatest asset, but in her case, her popularity and achievements are enough to generate the desired brand awareness.

The Latest Additions

Jelena Jankovic

Nadia Petrova

Vera Zvonareva

At the start of the new season, Fila made three important conquests, as they signed Russians Nadia Petrova and Vera Zvonareva, as well as Serbian Jelena Jankovic. Each member of the trio possesses a Grand Slam pedigree, having made at least the semifinals in such a tournament. While Petrova has been struggling to find a long-term sponsor for years and Jelena's collaboration with Chinese manufacturer Anta has led to a fashion disaster, Zvonareva has had a lot of success under K-Swiss. Although her switch can seem surprising, she managed to remain one of the best dressed players, keeping true to her trademark consecutive style.

Under construction!

Janko Tipsarevic

What is really lacking for Fila is having some strong men performers under their wing. Although Janko Tipsarevic has proved an excellent ambassador lately, cracking into the top 10 and getting a lot of publicity after becoming the front-face of Jesen’s Extreme Intimo underwear collection, he is still in a No Man's Land. Benefiting from strong legacy in men clothing (i.e. legendary names such as Borg, Becker or Vilas are amid past sponsored players), the company is probably keen on recapturing its position atop of the top men's apparel providers.

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Dokic's Shawshank Redemption

Jelena Dokic was one of those teenage prodigies who experienced immediate success when turning pro. As they say, all good things come to an end, but in this case (as in all that follow this pattern) the end came sooner and somehow unexpected.  After winning the US Open junior title in 1998, Jelena made it into her first Grand Slam quarter finals at Wimbledon a year later. She cause quite a commotion with her stunning first round performance when she destroyed the world number 1 Martina Hingis, 6-2, 6-0. The next couple of years were flourishing for the Australian as she reached her first Grand Slam semifinal at Wimbledon in 2000, won her first title in Rome in 2001 and broke into the top 4 in 2002.

When she exited the scene in 2004, it appeared as if all her problems finally took their toll. The struggles in her personal life, the difficult relationship with her infamous father Damir, the issues with the Australian federation, plus some minor injuries proved too much to handle. After a poor string of results, the then Serbian decided to take some much needed time off.

I got to see the Yugoslavian born Dokic in 2009, when she played a challenger in Bucharest. By far the biggest name in the draw, she made it relatively easy to the final. Then, quite surprisingly, she lost to a then unknown Andrea Petkovic of Germany. Her form wasn’t great. She struggled throughout the match and a really focused German took full advance emerging as the worthy winner. At the beginning of that year she announced she was trying to make a comeback. She experienced an extraordinary run in Australia where she reached her first quarter-finals. She quickly faded away though and got lost in obscurity.

With a failed comeback attempt under her belt, many thought Dokic was dead and buried. Until last week when she proved she still has what it takes to return to the top, the Australian was lying six feet under. With wins over Francesca Schiavone, Michaela Krajicek and Lucie Safarova, Jelena captured the Kuala Lumpur trophy. In a relatively permissive WTA tour, Dokic is the latest addition to a growing list of players who, by combining strong belief with some hard work, experienced triumphant results on their returns. Leaving aside big names like Hingis, Clijsters or Henin, there are others who witnessed great comebacks after injuries or lay-offs. Kimiko Date Krumm, now in her forties, provides the best example. The determined Japanese won the title in Seoul in 2009, just a year after joining the tour for a second time.

However, is Jelena's result an indication of the fact that the Australian finally broke her jinx? Did she manage to put her troubled existence behind and focus entirely on tennis? Definitely time will tell, but at least now she has something to rely on. Those who were quick in dismissing her might have hurried in writing her off.

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