Another week, another deal in the world of tennis.
A few weeks after making headlines with her appearance at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Gala, Venus Williams made news again with a sports-related collaboration, that with Powerade Zero sports drink.
“The fact that Powerade Zero targets an audience aligned with my lifestyle made the partnership interesting from the outset. As I began to learn more, I was intrigued that Powerade Zero is bringing a new dimension to the beverage world,” said the world No. 8.
The sports beverage, similar in content with its predecessor Powerade, which was launched back in 2001 to compete with Gatorade, offers calorie-conscious consumers the benefit of electrolyte replacement without the caloric costs.
Powerade Zero, which along with Glaceau Mineral Water is owned by Cola-Cola, is a zero calorie drink targeted at those who wish to exercise and replenish lost fluid and electrolytes but not consume additional calories which they have just burned, a concept which weighed on the four-time Wimbledon champion’s mind.
“There are a lot of people out there who have limited time to exercise and are trying to be calorie-conscious. This is the first brand to offer those people a chance to get the hydration and electrolytes of a sports drink without putting back the calories they’re working so hard to burn off,” she told business website Brandweek.com.
Williams also plans to use the drink herself, despite her rigorous line of work and slim physique.
“Most importantly, Powerade Zero is a product that I use in my training regimen when I don’t need as much energy from calories.”
Williams joins former Powerade alum, Andy Roddick, whose infamous commercial showcasing his best weapon, an un-returnable serve where the ball was struck so hard that it penetrated and remained jammed in the red clay surface, is still a YouTube favorite.
Roddick has since signed on with the AriZona beverage company, famous for its line of iced teas. Other players with a thirst for success off the court include Maria Sharapova who endorses Gatorade and Roger Federer, who promotes a brand of coffee and cappuccino machines as well as a milk beverage in his native Switzerland.
Williams, who has played a limited schedule on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour since last November due to rumored health concerns, was back at a Tier I event in Rome last week, where she reached the quarterfinals before bowing out to eventual champion Jelena Jankovic. She is currently in preparation for the season’s next Slam, the French Open at Paris.