The Emirates airline has penned a long-term deal to become the premier partner of the ATP World Tour, the top professional men’s tennis tour.
The deal will run for five years, from 2016 to 2020.
The agreement is the most lucrative sponsorship contract in the history of the ATP World Tour, according to the Arabian Business news website. The value of the deal was not disclosed, but reports suggest it could be worth about $50m (€47m), or $10m per year.
Emirates will replace beer brand Corona has the lead sponsor of the tour, whilst retaining its current role as the official airline partner.
Emirates will benefit from branding on match nets at about 60 tournaments worldwide, reaching an audience of more than 800 million. The airline’s branding will also adorn the ATPWorldTour.com official website, which attracts over 325 million visitors per year.
“It says a lot about where we are as a sport that an industry leader in Emirates, such a highly regarded and well established player in the sports marketing world, has chosen to further increase its presence and association with the ATP World Tour,” said Chris Kermode, the tour’s executive chairman and president.
Boutros Boutros, Emirates’ divisional senior vice-president of corporate communications, marketing and brand, added: “For Emirates, the global reach offered by sponsoring the ATP World Tour affords us the opportunity to connect and engage with millions of tennis fans around the globe. Emirates offers direct flights to nearly 90 per cent of the 32 countries visited by the ATP World Tour, making this partnership particularly relevant for our customers.”