EXCLUSIVE: With one photo, Alex de Minaur became the face for a brave new world in sportswear. Here's how he was chosen

As 2025 neared its end, Alex de Minaur said goodbye to a long chapter in his career.

For 11 years, he'd been an Asics-sponsored athlete but on New Year's Eve, it emerged that the partnership was all over.

De Minaur's first event in 2026 was the United Cup, where he wore the Australian kit, so confirmation of his switch to Wilson didn't come until mid-January when the company published a "hard launch" on Instagram.

READ MORE: Austrian bobsledder stretchered off after frightening crash

READ MORE: Crowd shocked as skater slashed in gruesome crash

READ MORE: Aussies fall just short of seventh medal in team aerials stunner

And there the Aussie was, rocking an all-new kit.

In the flesh, the full confirmation came when he wore Wilson's kit in a pre-tournament press conference.

It signalled that Wilson was here to play in the apparel market.

In 2023, Tennis 360 was launched with Marta Kostyuk as its face. The lifestyle apparel line had been announced two years prior to that.

But why was Wilson entering a sports apparel market already full of major players?

Nike has Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka, Naomi Osaka, Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz among its roster. Iga Świątek is an On Cloud athlete. Alexander Zverev rocks Adidas, and Novak Djokovic wears Lacoste.

Gordon Devin, president of Wilson Sportswear, explained it was all about trying to ensure its athletes have all levels covered.

"Wilson has a strong heritage in all sports, but especially tennis," he told Wide World of Sports.

"We had the right to continue building the best product for tennis players of all levels – from hand (racquet), to head (apparel) and toe (footwear). We have always understood what the athlete needs, and can now offer them more products so they can feel confident and perform their best."

The seeds were planted for a possible de Minaur switch when he was a guest during the US Open at a Wilson event with Kostyuk. De Minaur has long used Wilson racquets.

Now, as world No.6, the Aussie is the big fish.

De Minaur was part of a big announcement on the eve of the Australian Open, with Karen Khachanov, Jiří Lehečka, Anastasia Potapova, Colton Smith and Sarah Rakotomanga all signing. Vicky Mboko and Nicolas Jarry were already part of the stable before that.

With an admired athlete like Kostyuk already signed, it was inevitable Wilson would go even bigger with de Minaur.

"Marta has been an incredible partner and the muse in which we have designed our performance sportswear," Devlin said.

"Since signing Marta, we have built a strong roster of 16 athletes, with the newest being Alex de Minaur. Alex has played with Wilson's racquets for a number of years, which made this 360 move a natural transition with our brand.

"Australia is definitely a growth market for us, as we saw a lot of success around our pop-up and activations around the Australian Open last month."

Since the Australian Open has ended, Wilson has launched its own Rush 5 Tour shoe, which will be worn by de Minaur, Khachanov and Lehečka.

That product was made through extensive athlete testing over two years.

Devlin explained the athlete is "very involved" in the whole process of design.

"Our VP of design, Joelle Michaeloff, makes it a priority to meet with each of our athletes to complete their on-court 'kits' for each slam; listening to their feedback on the fit, style, etc," he said.

"Marta has been an integral partner, and we actually developed our Intrigue women's tennis shoe alongside her. Our collaboration extends beyond the court as well, to ensure their training gear and "courtstyle" fits meet their holistic needs. Our athletes are our greatest assets – and their feedback is critical in how we continue to innovate across categories."

The space with athletes and brands will be interesting as the 'influencer culture' wages on.

To suggest this is a lucrative market would be underselling it.

In 1981, Billie Jean King was reportedly earning roughly $2 million in endorsement deals until she came out as gay and lost them all. Fourteen years later, former WNBA player Sheryl Swoopes became the first woman to have a signature athletic shoe.

Throughout the mid-to-late 90s, Venus and Serena Williams started to dominate the endorsement market. Serena was signed to Puma and Venus with Reebok on deals worth over $10m when they were teens.

By 2010, Maria Sharapova signed a deal with Nike for eight years, worth more than $70m.

Today, American basketball star Caitlin Clark is one of the most notable female athletes, but her deal with Nike isn't quite at the Sharapova level of millions. She signed an eight-year $28m contract last year, but that also includes a shoe line.

During the Australian Open, Osaka also started an initiative that could become a more regular feature of tennis walkouts. The Japanese star entered the court for her first-round match in a jellyfish-inspired dress with an umbrella, hat and veil.

The idea had been in the works for more than six months.

On the men's side, in 1979, Magic Johnson had a moment he'd rather forget.

With the world at his feet, he had a choice between Converse and Nike.

Converse offered $100,000 cash, while Nike told Johnson they couldn't offer that sort of money, but stock instead. At the time, Phil Knight's company was in its infancy.

Johnson chose the cash. That stock would now be worth billions.

Then, in 1984, came the deal that changed it all and helped that stock rise. It was Michael Jordan with a five-year $2.5m deal at Nike.

Basketball has always been an intriguing watch, particularly with Jordan's Nike collaboration.

Jordan was and still is the gold standard for athlete and brand collaboration. The Jumpman logo transformed Nike and led to billions in revenue. His Air Jordan shoe started in 1984 and doesn't look to be slowing down any time soon.

Nowadays, athletes are signing lifetime deals. Lionel Messi (Adidas), LeBron James (Nike) and Cristiano Ronaldo (Nike) are all contracted forever on billion-dollar deals.

The 'Curry Brand' of Steph Curry is another interesting collaboration, particularly in recent times.

That brand was launched as a sub-brand of Under Armour as the company tried to make major moves in the sneaker market.

But it never really kicked off, and in November 2025, the 12-year partnership between Curry and Under Armour was over.

In the aftermath, Curry admitted "the sneaker industry is difficult" but would push on with his brand.

Whether anyone in tennis ever truly attempts that athlete-branded style will be interesting.

"Wilson has always been involved in collaborations – whether it is with sports leagues or athletes themselves," Devlin said.

"While we are driving strategy for our current and potential collaborations, we are also always observing the marketplace and trends."