A TENNIS star admitted she is “salty” that Wags are getting deals over “actual athletes”.
Daria Saville, 31, did not name any specific partners of tennis players in her rant.
But the likes of Morgan Riddle – girlfriend of world No4 Taylor Fritz – have risen to fame and cashed it with various sponsorships and brand deals.
Riddle, 27, regularly vlogs about what life on the tennis tour is like and has made it accessible to a new wave of young fans.
And she has now racked up more than 435,000 Instagram followers – plus 590,000 on TikTok – did a photoshoot with Vogue and even launched her own jewellery.
Saville confessed she “loves” Riddle’s videos but openly admitted she has got the hump that influencers receive more publicity than the actual professional stars.
The Australian – who switched nationality from Russian in 2015 – reckons there is “surely space for both Wags and female tennis players” but believes it is the athletes who “always get left out”.
She said on TikTok: “Let’s talk brand deals for a second.
“Tennis aesthetics are in right now, right?
“Brands are choosing Wags over actual athletes… why?
“It’s all over the place, but female tennis players are not getting those brand deals.
“It’s actually tennis Wags that fit into the aesthetics rather than us sweaty tennis players.”
Saville was ranked as high as 20 in the world – but now finds herself down at No108.
It is understandable big-time companies are opting to strike deals with those involved in the latter stages of the biggest tournaments – whether that be the highest-ranked players or their partners.
Riddle, for example, was shown on TV during Fritz’s run to the US Open final last year – plus the quarter-finals at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
But Saville added: “I’ve spoken to a few influencer Wags, and they’re surprised that we don’t get the same opportunities.
“Is it that athletes are not as relatable as Wags to the audience?
“I’ve got a personality and it’s salty right now…
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“Do marketing teams think tennis players are too niche compared to a Wag?
“Is that the whole glamorous life compared to sweat life? Is it more inspiration to be a Wag than a female athlete?
“Honestly, it’s mind blogging to me that brands are pickling influences for their campaigns during Grand Slams.
“And I’m definitely not the only female tennis player that feels that way.
“Marketing girls, why is that? Sorry if I came across salty AF. I’m done here.”
Riddle revealed, however, some of the negative aspects of being a tennis Wag.
Some of her horror stories include an attempted kidnapping, suffering nasty cuts across her legs from being electrocuted and having Airbnbs broken into.
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