In October 2019, not two months past her 18th birthday, the American tennis player Amanda Anisimova received an eye-watering endorsement deal from Nike. She was fresh off a semifinals appearance at the French Open in June, and possessed a photogenic exuberance tailor-made for photoshoots, plus an aggressive, highly watchable style of play. While the exact amount of the sponsorship deal was never confirmed, rumors speculated that it was nine figures. Suddenly, the teenager had a mountain of expectations on her racket. Internet rags published photos of her in a bathing suit, next to the global retailer’s former protégé Maria Sharapova for comparison.

Female tennis prodigies come of age in a media pressure cooker. In the ‘90s, star players like Jennifer Capriati, Monica Seles and Anna Kourni

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