UKG has decided to end its sponsorship deal with Novak Djokovic. UKG has been sponsoring Djokovic since 2019. Djokovic used to wear the UKG patch on his shirt.

Speaking of the break up, UKG said:

The sponsorship agreement was already planned to expire this year and we mutually agreed there would be no renewal.

UKG’s decision to not renew the partnership with Djokovic is partly due Djokovic’s stance on the COVID-19 vaccine. Djokovic has refused to get vaccinated unlike most players on the tour. He has missed several tournaments, including the Australian because of his vaccination status.

Novak Djokovic has said that he is willing to miss tournaments rather than take the vaccine. Another major sponsor Peugeot also cut ties with Djokovic earlier this year due to his COVID-19 stance.

Shirt patches are very lucrative for tennis players. With two patch sponsors – Peugeot and UKG – terminating their partnership, Djokovic has paid a big financial price for his vaccination stance.

With 20 grand slam titles under his belt, Djokovic is considered one of the best tennis players ever to play the game. But he has not been as marketable as fellow tennis stars Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

When it comes to doubles teams, height is no barrier. John Isner, who is 6 ft 10 inches, will partner with Diego Schwartzman, who is only 5 ft 7 inches tall to play doubles at the Italian Open in Rome. 

The servebot-returnbot team will be fun to watch on the court. Diego Schwartzman has already had some friendly banters with another tall player, Reilly Opelka. Opelka once gave Schwartzman a servebot shirt. 

John Isner, who is 37 years old, has been playing a lot of doubles recently as his singles career slowly winds down. Isner and Hubert Herkacz teamed up to win the Miami Open title last month.

Despite his height, Diego Schwartzman was able to reach the Top 10 in the world. He has won 4 titles. He reached the semifinals at the 2020 French Open.