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Group Press Release Tennis

BNP Paribas and the ITF announce the next phase of their long-standing association

March 22, 2019

BNP Paribas and the ITF announce the next phase of their long-standing association: focus on women and junior tennis, while ending the “BNP Paribas Davis Cup” title sponsorship

  • BNP Paribas and the International Tennis Federation (ITF) decided to conclude 17-year title sponsorship of Davis Cup. “Davis Cup by BNP Paribas” thus rebrands as “Davis Cup, The World Cup of Tennis”.
  • BNP Paribas’ title sponsorship of the ITF women’s competition “Fed Cup by        BNP Paribas”, junior tournaments “Junior Fed Cup by BNP Paribas’ and ‘Junior Davis Cup by BNP Paribas”, the wheelchair event “BNP Paribas World Team Cup” and ITF coaches conferences continue.
  • BNP Paribas, which has supported tennis for more than 45 years, reaffirms its commitment to support all levels and dimensions of this sport, in France and abroad.

BNP Paribas and the ITF have today announced the next phase of their long-standing association.  This partnership, which began in 2001, has brought significant success to the development of the ITF Davis Cup, Fed Cup and Junior Davis and Fed Cup team competitions, in France and globally.

The ITF, as the global organization responsible for the development of Juniors tennis and the custodians of the Fed Cup competition, welcomes the continuation of this partnership that sees BNP Paribas continue its commitment as title sponsor of the “Fed Cup by BNP Paribas” – the world’s largest annual international team competition in women’s sport, launched in 1963 with 108 nations entered in 2019. This partnership also encompasses the continued support of BNP Paribas as title sponsor of the “Junior Davis Cup by BNP Paribas” and the “Junior Fed Cup by BNP Paribas”.

“We decided with the ITF to conclude the “Davis Cup by BNP Paribas” partnership as the competition’s format evolves. During 17 years, we have been happy to be alongside fans, players and local audiences, all around the world, and to have fueled their passion during unforgettable matches.” Bertrand Cizeau, Head of Communications and Deputy Head of Company Engagement at BNP Paribas declared. He added: “We wish the best for the next phase of this competition and are keen to continue to develop our action, together with the ITF, for women and junior tennis players. BNP Paribas’ engagement in tennis is a long-lasting story of more than 45 years, and we are fully committed to continue to support and leverage tennis in all its forms and around the world, with more than 1,000 tournaments – professional and amateur -, 2,000 clubs and 20 international federations.”

David Haggerty, President of the International Tennis Federation, said: “BNP Paribas has made a vast contribution to the success of Davis Cup as title sponsor over the past 17 years. We are proud of the great work we have achieved together for Davis Cup, and we look forward to continuing our relationship across a number of properties from the grassroots to the top of the game. As for BNP Paribas, encouraging junior and female tennis are key in our mission to promote equal opportunities on and off the court – for instance with the Gender Equality Committee that we created in 2017.”

BNP Paribas enhanced its engagement for young players in 2018 and 2019 with the launch of three “young tennis talent” programs with French player Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (“BNP Paribas Young Talent Team”), American players John and Patrick McEnroe (“BNP Paribas Mac 1 Team”) and French player Yannick Noah through its charity organization “Fête le Mur” (“BNP Paribas Kids Fête le Mur Team”). Through these, BNP Paribas will support no less than 50 young hopefuls in 2019 in order to help them reaching the highest level of competition.

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About BNP Paribas and tennis

BNP Paribas is today the number one partner to tennis worldwide, with a commitment, unrivalled in sport, which goes back all the way to 1973. The Group’s support covers all levels and dimensions of the game all over the world, including singles, doubles, team tennis, wheelchair tennis and family tennis, ranging from beginners’ training to the top professional tournaments.

  • Professional Tennis: Official sponsor of the French Open at Roland Garros; title sponsor of the Fed Cup by BNP Paribas; title sponsor of three ATP Masters 1000 tournaments – the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters, the Internazionali BNL d’Italia (Italian Open) in Rome; partner to the Open 13 (Marseille), the Parc de Lyon Open, the BGL BNP Paribas Luxembourg Open and the Fever-Tree Championships (Queen’s Club, London), European Open (Antwerp);
  • Wheelchair Tennis: BNP Paribas Open de France; BNP Paribas World Team Cup;
  • Junior & University Tennis and Academies: The Junior Fed Cup by BNP Paribas; The Junior Davis Cup by BNP Paribas; the Master’U BNP Paribas;
  • Amateur Tennis: Sponsor of the BNP Paribas Family Trophy; also providing support to over 1,000 amateur tournaments around the world through partnerships with more than 20 national tennis federations; also working with dozens of tennis-based charities such as Yannick Noah’s charity organization ‘Fête le Mur’;
  • Young generations: The ‘BNP Paribas Young Talent Team’ mentored by French player Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, in association with the French Tennis Federation; the ‘BNP Paribas Mac 1 Team’ with John and Patrick McEnroe in the US; the ‘BNP Paribas Kids Fête le Mur Team’ within French player Yannick Noah’s charity organization ‘Fête le Mur’.

Having entered into all these partnerships, BNP Paribas set up in 2011 a programme called We Are Tennis, whose purpose is to promote interest in the game of tennis all over the world. The wearetennis.com website and its social network accounts bring together a community of tennis lovers and dedicated fans from all continents who are keen to obtain the latest news from the ATP, WTA and ITF circuits. Furthermore, in 2015 BNP Paribas created the We Are Tennis Fan Academy, which enables fans to express their passion for tennis as never before. BNP Paribas also supports local tennis through crowdfunding campaigns designed to finance projects.

In addition, the Group initiated in 2015 a charity programme called ‘Aces of the Heart’ to assist young hospital in-patients and their families. The programme seeks to improve the daily lives and reception facilities at children’s hospitals and arranges for the children to attend tennis tournaments sponsored by BNP Paribas.

About the International Tennis Federation
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) is the world governing body of tennis. Founded in 1913,  its purpose is to ensure the long-term growth and sustainability of the sport, delivering tennis for future generations association with its 210 member nations. The ITF oversees the rules and regulations that govern internation and national competition. The ITF is responsible for the worldwide development of tennis through its highly regarded Development Programme, its Science and Technical department which monitors equipment an technology, and its Officiating department which oversees the education and advancement of officials. The IT organises over 1,500 weeks of men’s, women’s and
junior tournaments on the ITF World Tennis Tour, and also manages the ITF junior team competitions, ITF Beach Tennis Tour, UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour and the IT Seniors Circuit. The ITF is the owner and rightsholder of the two Largest annual international team competition in tennis, Davis Cup, the World Cup of Tennis, and Fed Cup by BNP Paribas. The ITF manages the Olympic Tenn Event on behalf of the IOC. The ITF upholds the highest standards of integrity and manages the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme on behalf of the sport and is a partner in the Tennis Integrity Unit.
Visit www.itftennis.com, www.twitter.com/ITF_Tennis, www. facebook.com/InternationalTennisFederation

Press contacts

BNP Paribas
Sandrine Romano – +33 (0)6 71 18 23 05 – sandrine.romano@bnpparibas.com
Floriane Ettwiller – +33 (0)7 62 27 48 34 – floriane.ettwiller@bnpparibas.com

International Tennis Federation
Heather Bowler – +44 208 392 4632 – heather.bowler@itftennis.com