MILAN: Global sports equipment manufacturer Dunlop has been declared as one of the Gold Partners of the upcoming Next Gen ATP Finals event in the city to be held from 6-10 November. The multi-year partnership will see Dunlop provide the official ball for the tournament, the Dunlop Fort All Court Tournament Select ball.
It will also receive a number of promotional rights for the innovative event such as a strong presence with its logo in the stadium and branded ball coolers on the court. Directly engaging with spectators, Dunlop will have a brand activation and promotional area at the event as well.
The partnership adds to Dunlop’s recent official ball partner agreement with the Australian Open as well as existing partnerships with high-profile events on the tennis calendar. It has also been confirmed as the official ball provider of the ATP 1000 Rome Masters.
Supporting these events, the Next Gen ATP Finals provides Dunlop with the platform to focus on one of its key objectives of targeting and engaging with younger tennis fans to develop their love of the game and ultimately grow participation of the sport globally.
Dunlop Product Planning & Promotion head Kiyoshi Ikawa said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with the Next Gen ATP Finals, an event that is taking tennis to new audiences. The passion for innovation fits perfectly with our brand values and provides a great opportunity for us to engage with younger tennis fans and consumers. The ATP understands the need to make the game more appealing to new fans and we’re really excited to be a part of it in the upcoming years.”
Now in its second year, the Next Gen ATP Finals has been praised for the introduction of several innovative rules to raise the tempo of matches. Unique to the event, it features first to four game sets, shorter warm-ups, shot clock, a no-let rule and Hawk-Eye Live which removes the need for line judges.
“We are very pleased to have reached an agreement with Dunlop because we believe they provide the best ball on the professional tennis circuit,” Next Gen ATP Finals 2018 tournament director Sergio Palmieri said.
“To demonstrate how much we appreciate the quality of the Dunlop ball, in addition to the Next Gen ATP Finals, we have also finalized a multi-year extension for the ATP Masters 1000 Rome – BNL Internazionali D’Italia.”
