MELBOURNE: Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the tennis calendar year, has announced that Dunlop will be replacing Wilson as its official ball partner for the next five years.
Dunlop will also be providing balls for all levels of Tennis Australia-sanctioned tournaments and its low compression balls will be used in the governing body’s key development program, ANZ Tennis Hot Shots.
“We are delighted to partner with Dunlop on the new Australian Open ball,” Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley said.
“Our aim is to provide the players with the best possible playing environment and we believe they will be very happy with the quality, standard and consistency of play of the new AO Dunlop ball in a wide variety of conditions.
“We’ve worked closely with Dunlop for some time and are impressed with their quality control at every stage, from design right through to the manufacturing process. Many of our current and former players have also put the new ball through its paces, both in Australia and around the world, and this process will be ongoing to ensure there’s consistency of play in a variety of conditions.
“We welcome Dunlop to the Australian tennis family and look forward to a fantastic partnership across all levels of the sport,” Tiley continued.
Dunlop’s head of Tennis Operations, Kiyoshi Ikawa echoed Tiley’s sentiments.
“The new partnership with the Australian Open and Tennis Australia represents a landmark moment for Dunlop,” Ikawa said.
“Partnering with a Grand Slam gives us an opportunity to reach new audiences and reaffirms the dedication we have to producing tennis products of the highest standards.
“Tour players often refer to the Dunlop balls as being the best on tour and we’ve worked tirelessly throughout a detailed development process with Tennis Australia. Specifications of the ball have been tested by current and ex-players, Tennis Australia members and coaches to ensure we deliver the perfect ball for what’s regarded as the most popular Grand Slam of the year among the players.”
