Danielle Collins played Australian Open without an official apparel or shoe sponsor

Danielle Collins entered the 2022 Australian Open without an apparel or shoe sponsor. But when the American leaves Melbourne as the runner-up, brands back home will do everything in their power to tie her up to a lucrative deal.

The World No. 30 battled hard against home favorite Ashleigh Barty in the women's singles final on Saturday, but came up just short, losing 6-3, 7-6(2).

What was quite remarkable was the fact Collins played in her first-ever Grand Slam final without an official apparel or shoe sponsor. While most athletes wear outfits sponsored by clothing companies such as Nike, Lacoste and Adidas, the American's outfits had the logo of Dynasty Financial Partners instead.

Dynasty Financial Partners is a wealth management company that offers business and financial advice to clients and is based out of St. Petersburg, Florida -- the same city Collins was born and grew up in. The partnership began in March 2021, when Dynasty wanted to sponsor local talent.

At the time, Collins had New Balance as her shoe sponsor. The deal reportedly ended last summer and wasn't renewed. At Melbourne Park this year, the 28-year-old has been spotted wearing Adidas shoes and an Adidas visor.

However, Collins is not officially endorsed by the company, meaning she likely paid for the gear out of her own pocket.

Danielle Collins will be the new American No. 1 following her Australian Open run

Danielle Collins will become America's top-ranked women's singles player when the WTA rankings are updated next week.

The American fell in the second round at the Australian Open last year, meaning she will gain 1230 points after reaching the final this week and will make her top-10 debut.

Her previous career-high was World No. 23, which she achieved in 2019 by reaching the semifinals of the Australian Open.

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Shyam is a journalist and content manager who covers tennis at Sportskeeda. He has followed the sport for over two decades and considers Roger Federer the G.O.A.T. Shyam believes in accurate stories that provide detailed knowledge and insight, and strives to bring the same to his readers. Shyam has good understanding of SEO and journalism guidelines.

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