Andy Murray had an RBS logo on his shirt and was quick to retrieve his sponsored watch after his US Open win. Photograph: Ella Ling/AMA/Matthew Ashton/Corbis
Andy Murray did not only extend Britain's post-Olympics euphoria by one more day when he clinched his first grand slam title in the small hours of Tuesday morning. Overnight, he saw his commercial earnings potentially triple as he catapulted himself into an elite sports sponsorship league occupied by stars such as David Beckham and Lewis Hamilton, experts say.
His heart-thumping victory over Novak Djokovic at the US Open makes him the first British male grand slam champion for 76 years and, according to branding match-makers, that makes him a target for global sponsors itching for association with his sporting prowess.
"Off court, he could triple his earnings on the back of this, it is that significant," says Nigel Currie, director of Brand Rapport, whose clients include Jaguar and Vodafone. "Golf and tennis are two of the richest and two of the most global sports, so when you reach the top in this sports, the possibilities are boundless," he said.
The tennis ace's earnings are currently estimated at about £7m or £8m a year, but this could reach £20 to £25m within a year if he is carefully managed.
Currie believes companies such as Gillette, which has sponsored Beckham, Woods and Thierry Henry, make a bee-line for people such as Murray because their global recognition delivers eyeballs in every corner of the world.
"I think it will be the big global brands, like the ones we have seen in the Olympics – the Samsungs, the Visas, the McDonald's and Coca-Colas that go for it," Currie says.
Murray's sponsors currently include Adidas, Royal Bank of Scotland, the watch company Rado and Head, but in the elite league he can expect to have deals where he can just "put his name to a portfolio of three or four partners who require very little input from the sports star", Currie says.
Those that know him however say he will not be getting a makeover or be "buffed up" in the manner of Beckham, who went from being a meek domestic footballing star to a global sex symbol, doing his bit for Calvin Klein underwear, among others.
Murray is already in pole position to cash in on his new-found global stardom as he is represented by Simon Fuller, the svengali behind Beckham, his wife, Victoria, Lewis Hamilton and many others. A spokesman for Fuller's XIX Entertainment agency said: "There's huge potential for Andy going forward. From the moment he won the Olympics gold, he began to impress and show the global audience what he is capable of. This is just the beginning."
Could the timing of Murray's triumph be an issue? After all, he is joining a very crowded field for sports hero of the year, with a conveyor belt of stars delivered by the Olympics and Paralympics including Mo Farah, David Weir, Jessica Ennis and Bradley Wiggins.
"The fact that it's a crowded market isn't an issue. Bradley Wiggins has gone global but people like Jessica Ennis will remain UK properties and have minimum appeal in the global market," Currie says.
And judging by Twitter on Monday night, Murray's already got an A-list following with celebrities including Russell Crowe, Sir Matthew Pinsent and Kevin Spacey in raptures about his performance.
As Crowe tweeted: "Andy Murray on a roll. You champion."
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