Tennis sponsors not kind to lesbian stars, such as Mauresmo

I'll just publish this in its entirety. I've not read many articles like this before.

Amelie Mauresmo doesn't bounce around the court in a low-cut dress like Maria Sharapova or design her own outfits like Serena Williams. The world's top-ranked women's tennis player just wins.

Mauresmo has won Wimbledon and the Australian Open this year and held the sport's No.1 spot since March 30. She's the top seed at the US Open in New York, where play started on Monday. Yet Mauresmo, who is openly gay, lags her rivals in endorsements.

"The corporate world wants this perfect female," said Mauresmo's agent, Micky Lawler. For now, that's Sharapova. At 1.88 metres tall and 60 kilograms with model looks, Sharapova is the world's top-paid female athlete, earning $US19 million ($25 million) a year, according to Forbes magazine. Offers rolled in after she won Wimbledon in 2004. Now the 19-year-old snaps pictures for Canon, chats on a pink phone for Motorola and poses for Sports Illustrated magazine's swimsuit issue.

At least Sharapova, who lives in Bradenton, Florida, has 16 career singles titles. Winning wasn't necessary for Russian player Anna Kournikova to rake in sponsorship dollars. Mauresmo, 27, who introduced the press to her girlfriend at the Australian Open seven years ago, has endorsements only with a natural gas company and an eyeglass retailer in her native France. She also has equipment sponsors Reebok and Dunlop Sports.

Sexuality is still a factor in boardrooms. It affected Billie Jean King, a 39-time grand slam champion. In 1981, she lost all her endorsements within 24 hours after a lawsuit by her former partner revealed she was gay.

"It's the cutie-patooties, no matter what, that always get the most," said King, 62.

Few have used those words to describe Mauresmo. Martina Hingis called her "half a man" after beating her in the Australian Open final in 1999. Lindsay Davenport noted Mauresmo's strength and shoulders after losing to her in the semi-finals that year.

Mauresmo played in her first grand slam event in 1995, at the age of 15, and didn't win one until this year's Australian Open. Her acknowledged weakness was succumbing to nerves in big matches.

"I've been looking for these kinds of achievements for such a long time," Mauresmo said. "I'm finally capable of really being more relaxed on the court and more effective and knowing exactly what my game is. It doesn't mean I'm going to win every tournament that I'm in, but it means I'm capable of winning the big ones."

She declined to discuss her endorsements in detail, saying only: "It's always good when you're the best player in an individual sport. Obviously, people take a little bit more interest in what you're doing. They want to link to your image. I've been experiencing this for a few months, but I'm more focused on my tennis now."

Lawler declined to say how much Mauresmo earned from endorsements. Her tennis earnings this year total $US2.5 million.

Sheryl Swoopes, a three-time Olympic gold medallist in basketball, used an endorsement agreement with San Francisco's Olivia Cruises and Resorts, a lesbian travel company, to announce she was gay. Martina Navratilova, winner of 58 grand slam tennis titles, and pro golfer Rosie Jones, both of whom are gay, have also been recruited by Olivia.

Mauresmo hadn't been offered, and wasn't seeking, deals with companies that catered to gays and lesbians, Lawler said. She has signed with Reebok as part of its "I Am What I Am" campaign.

Paris eyewear retailer Alain Afflelou has signed a 10-year deal with Mauresmo for an undisclosed amount. Spokeswoman Isabelle Amaraggi called Mauresmo "a winner, someone who's comfortable in her own skin, who assumes her own choices and her life".

While Mauresmo doesn't hide her sexuality, she hasn't championed the cause either, preferring to promote other causes, such as housing for the needy, cancer research and children in sport and the arts.

It's more than just her sexuality that may be keeping sponsors away, said Dean Bonham of the Bonham Group, a Denver sports marketing firm. He said Mauresmo could command up to $10 million a year if she revealed a charismatic personality and compelling story to the public. The Sydney Morning Herald