Romanian Tennis Player: "Better to Be a Pretty 20th Than an Ugly 1st..."

World No. 38 Sorana Cirstea Criticizes Appearance-Based Discrimination

Sorana Cirstea, ranked 38th in the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) singles world rankings, criticized the reality after hearing comments that prioritize appearance over skill. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Bora Lee] Sorana Cirstea, a Romanian tennis player active on the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour (world ranking 38th), criticized the reality of valuing appearance over athletic ability.

Eurosport reported on the 1st that Cirstea recently made remarks on an internet broadcast. Cirstea appeared on a Romanian internet broadcast and said, "A few years ago, when signing a sponsorship contract, I was told that 'being pretty and ranked around 20th in the world' is better than 'being ugly and ranked number 1 in the world.'"

Cirstea was sponsored by Adidas for 10 years starting in 2006 but is currently under contract with New Balance. She revealed that she heard the comment about the importance of appearance when signing with Adidas.

At the time of the contract, Cirstea said she was told by the sponsor, "If you rank within the top 20, you can participate in any tournament and be exposed 24 hours a day (in advertisements, etc.)." She added, "All of this is because of marketing," and continued, "In countries like the United States, China, Japan, the United Kingdom, and Spain, star players sell well (based on ability alone), but Eastern Europe is not like that." A British media outlet reported Cirstea's remarks and noted, "We asked Adidas about this matter but did not receive a response."

Cirstea reached a career-high world ranking of 21 in 2013 and has won two WTA Tour singles titles. She won the WTA Tour singles titles twice, at the 2008 Tashkent Open and the 2021 Istanbul Cup, and has earned a total prize money of $7,475,507 (approximately 10.65 billion KRW).

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