Mahesh Bhupathi Will Be A Busy Man In Monte Carlo

Written by: Staff on 15th April 2013

Mahesh Bhupathi Will Be A Busy Man In Monte Carlo

epa03468688 Mahesh Bhupathi (L) and Rohan Bopanna (R) of India in action against Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez of Spain (not pictured) during their doubles final match at the ATP World Tour Finals in London, Britain, 12 November 2012. EPA/AYBIGE MERT |

Mahesh Bhupathi is set for a busy week at the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters. Primarily he has teamed up with fellow Indian Rohan Bopanna to take the sixth seeding spot in the doubles competition but that is the easy part. The 38 year-old will also formally start work as Andy Murray’s procurer of endorsements and other commercial arrangements while continuing his long-running task of setting up the planned Asian International Tennis League.

Despite winning the Olympic and US Open titles in the second half of last year, world no.2 Murray (or more to the point his management company XIX Entertainment) has not added a single new deal to a portfolio that is slim in comparison to that of the Scot’s peers Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Bhupathi, as head of the Indian company Globosport a proven mover and shaker in the commercial world, has been tasked with changing that around and making Murray a far more lucrative brand. He said: ““I’m looking at all Andy’s commercial opportunities, whether they’re brand related, licensing-related, digital related.”

Next week Bhupathi will head to London to engage in discussions with a number of high-profile companies with the aim of at least getting a couple of shirt patch deals in place before the French Open and Wimbledon. But his ambitions are much higher.

“We are going to create Brand Andy Murray,” said Bhupathi. “We will create his logo and his identity, and license those. We are talking a long-term play here because these are the kind of opportunities that will make money for him long-term, hopefully after he finishes playing.”

Up to now Murray has never been a player excited by the prospect of giving up his valuable time for sponsors and backers, and hitherto that has been a stumbling block in setting up commercial deals.

But Bhupathi insisted: “There are a lot of positive attributes to Andy, what a fighter he is, how hard he works, how emotional he is. The UK is one of the biggest markets in the world, he is a contender for the No 1 ranking, a serious contender for the Wimbledon title, and so all of this together is a compelling package.

“My perception was always that, looking at how the top four were being marketed, Andy missed out. Rafa [Nadal] and Roger [Federer] have their [logo] restrictions because they are with Nike, but for me it was bizarre that Andy’s left sleeve is empty because there is a value there and so much can be done. Rome wasn’t built in a day, but Andy understands that, and we do, and we are on the right track already.”

©Daily Tennis News Wire

Topics: Andy Murray, Asian International Tennis League, Mahesh Bhupathi, Monte Carlo tennis news, Rohan Bopana, Sports, Tennis News