Ace Chinese Paddler Fan Zhendong Becomes Endorsement Magnet 

Since stepping away from the ITTF rankings alongside Chen Meng and Ma Long, table tennis star Fan Zhendong has become an even bigger endorsement magnet. 

The 27-year-old Chinese paddler— who became only the sixth man in history to achieve an epic Grand Slam last year after trouncing Swede Truls Moregardh in the Paris Olympics Men’s Singles Final— has become the face of Cadillac, Redmi and MLB early last week in quick succession.  

After the announcement of endorsement deals with Redmi and MLB on January 2, Cadillac joined the party next day. The move with Cadillac was already in the pipeline as the prestigious car maker had its Weibo account showing footage of Fan Zhendong picking up his car last October.     

The coveted car maker is very meticulous about its partnerships in China, having previously partnered iconic athletes Liu Xiang and Eileen Gu in the past. The commercial appeal of brand Fan Zhendong is on a high as companies capitalise on the public backing him even after his withdrawal from the world rankings.   

According to ASN data, table tennis has seen investment of almost US$53.7m in the Asian sponsorship market since Q222, with a quarterly average investment of US$4.5m+ during this period. As for Q125, the sport is forecasted to see investment of US$1.6m+, which is just slightly more than a third of the usual quarterly average since Q222. 

Meanwhile Cadillac has invested over US$15.5m in China’s sponsorship market since Q222, with a quarterly average investment of US$1.4m during this period. 2024 was a bumper year where quarterly investment hit slightly over US$2.5m, with the naming rights of the Wukesong Arena worth almost US$5m last year.  

As for MLB, it is the first deal in the China’s sponsorship market since the withdrawal of a celebrity endorsement deal with Rocket Girl’s Meng Meiqi in 2023 while Redmi’s parent company Xiaomi has spend US$714k since Q222, its spends have been muted since Q224, and the latest blockbuster endorsement from Fan Zhendong suggests the wheels are turning for 2025.