Fitness company Kyanee signs tennis star Ons Jabeur as its global brand ambassador

The GIST: After several major plays to host international tennis events, including the WTA Finals, Saudi Arabia had a quiet December for women’s sports moves. But the winter break was short — Kayanee, a fitness company established by Saudi’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), recently signed Tunisian tennis star Ons Jabeur as its global brand ambassador. The perfect coord set.

The company: Kayanee soft-launched last August when the PIF announced the wellness brand that caters to Saudi Arabian women. Led by Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, the brand is targeting the country’s $4.3B fitness sector and aiming to reach 1M consumers by 2030.

The partnership: After representing sportswear brand Lotto Sport Italia since 2016, Jabeur made quite the fashion statement by sporting Kayanee’s exclusive tennis line on Instagram this week. The brand hit an ace with its new ambassador — the WTA world No. 6 is one of the most marketable and highest-earning female athletes, and an inspiration to women in the Arab world.

• It hasn’t always been that way for Jabeur, however. She told Vogue Arabia last January that she believes her North African heritage has hindered endorsement deals and hopes more brands take a chance on her. Princess Reema did just that, resulting in Saudi Arabia’s first meaningful connection to a trendsetting pro women’s sports icon.

Zooming out: After a failed FIFA Women’s World Cup tourism campaign and a missed WTA Finals opportunity, Saudi Arabia still wants an invite to the global women's sports party. So far, the country has found more success in winning over individual athletes like Jabeur, soccer’s Ashleigh Plumptre, and golf’s Rose Zhang, but a breakthrough on the world stage seems inevitable. Watch this space.