Romanian tennis player is already living the celebrity life, might get sweet endorsement deal after WTA performance

Oct 29, 2014 08:13 GMT  ·  By

Simona Halep, the Romanian tennis player who came thisclose to becoming the world’s newest number 1 in tennis, but was stopped in her tracks at the WTA Finals in Singapore by Serena Williams, is getting to reap the fruits of all that hard labor – from all sides.

The 23-year-old star received a brand new and totally free Porsche 911 Carrera 4 Coupe some hours ago from Porsche International. She picked up the car from Porsche Romania in Bucharest, AutoEvolution reports.

A possible new endorsement in the making

It’s no secret that celebrities make almost as much money, if not actually more, from endorsement deals than they make from their day-to-day jobs, whether it’s acting or making music or playing tennis, as is the case of Simona.

The bigger the star, the bigger the endorsement deals. And that doesn’t even include the stuff they get for free just to be the face (or body) of a brand.

Just to give you an idea of how much money can be made from endorsement deals, actor Leonardo DiCaprio (who, yes, still doesn’t have an Oscar to his name) can command somewhere around $5 million (€3.9 million) for a single campaign that doesn’t even run in the US or Europe. This way, he can still say he’s not what the media likes to call a “sell-out.” The same goes for George Clooney.  

Halep isn’t yet as famous or as in-demand as these two Hollywood stars, but she’s on the right track, if this neat present she got from Porsche is any indication. Porsche has Maria Sharapova now as their brand ambassador, so it could be that they’re thinking of hiring Halep in her stead, because she’s much hotter right now, given her impressive ascension in international rankings.

Halep is now world’s third female tennis player.

Either that or they just really wanted to show their appreciation by presenting her with such an expensive gift – and get to enjoy all the free media exposure as well.    

Simona Halep shoots for the stars – and has been doing so since the start

The Romanian tennis player has had a very impressive climb to the top, so a Porsche is a well-deserved present regardless of whether it comes with strings or not. She first made headlines in 2010, when she had a breast reduction, from a 34DD-cup to a 34C one, to improve her performance on the court.

That year, she ranked 114 in the world, and a couple of years later, she’d already broken into the top 50. In August 2013, she had already won her way into the top 20 tennis players in the world, and in January this year, she made it into the top 10.

Now at number 3, it’s probably a safe bet to assume many other major brands will want to have their name associated with hers. Porsche just got a head start.

Simona Halep's brand new Porsche 911 (3 Images)

Simona Halep is the owner of a new Porsche 911 Carrera 4 Coupe
Romanian Simona Halep is world’s third-ranked female tennis playerIt’s likely that Simona Halep will become the next spokesperson for Porsche, replacing Maria Sharapova
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