Smith & Nephew plc (NYSE:SNN) is going to see if Billie Jean King’s pitch is as good as her serve.
The British orthopedics giant announced that the tennis legend has signed on as the company’s spokeswoman for its Legion knee implants. King, who won six Wimbledon singles championships and four U.S. Open titles in a scintillating tennis career, had double knee replacement surgery last year using the Legion implant.
Smith and Nephew claims that the implants are built to provide 30 years of “active mobility under normal conditions.”
“For nearly four decades, I was in a downward spiral of pain and compromise due to my knees,” King said in prepared remarks.
“The mental and emotional shift my new knees have provided me has been tremendous; I feel like I’m 20 again, and I’m back on the courts playing tennis,” she said.
In addition to her 39 grand slam titles, King is the founder of the Women’s Tennis Association, Women’s Sports Foundation and Women’s Sports Magazine. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom (the nation’s highest civilian honor) by President Barack Obama in 2009.
On Thursday, Smith & Nephew reported $3.96 billion in total sales for 2010, up 4 percent from $3.77 billion in 2009, which company officials said was partially driven by a 5 percent jump in its knee business.
