William Chipps, senior editor of IEG Sponsorship Report, said tennis has largely replaced the drop in spending by financial services and automobile companies during the global financial crisis, with new categories such as beer and spirits.
New major tennis deals for 2010 include Mexican beer brand Corona Extra's sponsorship of the ATP World Tour, worth $70 million over five-and-a-half-years. A major Asia-Pacific partnership between the WTA Tour and Chinese apparel brand Peak Sport Products was also signed this year.
In the USA, significant deals have been struck between vehicle insurer Esurance and the US Open and with Moet Hennessy’s Grand Marnier and the US Tennis Association’s US Open Series.
