Jabeur to Evolve, Rublev and Svitolina to Kosmos: The behind-the-scenes shuffles making headlines before AO

WATCH: Tennis Channel Live discusses Rafael Nadal bringing his son down under with him for the first time.

In tennis, the start of the new year means that the new season is already a week old—but new deals are still being inked in earnest, as the game’s biggest names descend on Australia for the first Grand Slam of the year.

It’s every tennis head’s favorite game of ‘spot the difference,’ with media, agents, fans and even fellow players serendipitously noting the new logos, blacked out equipment and personnel changes dotting the 2023 WTA and ATP landscape.

From Naomi Osaka’s big scoop of world No. 2 Ons Jabeur, to Gerard Pique’s Kosmos Management making another big move in tennis, here are the biggest behind-the-scenes shuffles to know before the Australian Open.

Stephens, Vekic ace their Nike exit strategy

Have you ever watched a tennis match and noticed that both players were wearing identical outfits in the same colorways, right down to the matching Nike shoes? Fans will expect to see less of these tennis faux pas in 2023, as several of the brand’s ambassadors were spotted sans Swoosh while competing and practicing Down Under.

A few enterprising players—including Sloane Stephens and Donna Vekic—have taken advantage of the scuffle to unveil new projects of their own.

Vekic became the first female ambassador for Uomo Sport, a luxury men’s sports apparel brand, with the launch of her Donna Sport line. “Now I am able to be involved in the process of creating the clothing that I will wear on court,” she wrote on Instagram.

Stephens has found a new home at FP Movement, joining countrywoman Sofia Kenin as an ambassador of Free People’s cult favorite sports apparel spinoff. “I'm looking forward to the support they will give me in my tennis career and in my efforts off the court!" Stephens announced via Twitter.

Andrey Rublev's new “social” project: Rublo

Meanwhile, according to a representative, Andrey Rublev has apparently dodged the Nike exodus and instead taken advantage of some new “circumstances” to launch his own clothing line, Rublo.

It’s a clothing brand that’s “not about clothes” and indeed, the designs won’t be available in stores—at least not yet, said Sofya Tartakova, according to Russia’s MK-Sport.

"The contract with Nike continues. The sneakers are theirs,” Tartakova said. “The relationship is good, but... there used to be contract restrictions, but now circumstances have developed that they decided to take a chance and do their own.

“The guys don’t call the brand a business,” she added. “They cautiously say that the project is ‘social’, and they don’t intend to sell it yet. They are developing progressively.”

Kosmos Management scoops Rublev, Svitolina and Coric

Rublev also made another noteworthy move last week, ending a long-term relationship with IMG to join Kosmos Management, the Barcelona-based boutique athlete representation agency owned by ex-footballer Gerard Pique’s Kosmos Holdings.

The former FC Barcelona star launched the agency in 2017, and made headlines in the tennis world when he signed a 25-year deal with the ITF to organize and revamp Davis Cup. Through its subsidiaries, Kosmos Holdings also has a growing footprint in Spanish sport including soccer, e-sports, and video production.

Pique’s agency now represents one Top 10 player from each tour, with ATP No. 8 Rublev—alongside Elina Svitolina and Borna Coric—joining a roster that includes WTA No. 8 Daria Kasatkina, 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem and 2022 Australian Open junior champion Bruno Kuzuhara.

Ons Jabeur joins Naomi Osaka’s Evolve agency

Despite recently announcing her withdrawal from the Australian Open, four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka scored another big win when Tunisian trailblazer Ons Jabeur became the latest player to sign to her athlete representation agency Evolve.

The world No. 2 departed Top Five Management—an agency helmed by Stephane Gurov with headquarters in Paris—for another enterprise in Evolve, alongside business partner and former Paris Saint-Germain executive Adel Aref.

“New year, new beginning with Adel Aref and [Evolve],” Jabeur announced on social media.

Launched last May by Osaka and longtime agent Stuart Duguid after departing from IMG, the agency’s roster also includes Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios. Both players are also set to feature prominently in the upcoming Netflix docuseries Break Point.