Mattek-Sands signs deal with Eyeblack.com
World No. 31 Bethanie Mattek-Sands, who is known to wear innovative outfits on and off the court, has signed with Eyeblack.com, which is a company that produces glare protective adhesive strips that are used by athletes around the world to enhance their performance, and by fans to express their support of a specific team or player. Mattek-Sands, who will be the company’s first female spokesperson, noticed a need to use the Eyeblack.com product after unsuccessfully using different pairs of sunglasses at the Australian Open in Melbourne in January. “Eye black is a perfect fit for tennis,” said Peter Beveridge, Founder of Eyeblack.com. “It’s mostly played outdoors and the ball is in the air, so this is a totally new market for us.” Eyeblack.com plans to use Mattek-Sands on retail packaging. “As a person and a player, I have been known to push the limits of tennis both with my fashion and my play, and now I think I have found a great combination of both, so I’m very excited to partner with EyeBlack.com,” said Mattek-Sands. “EyeBlack.com not only offers a great product to help me see better out on the court, but allows me to be creative and have fun with what I wear.” Financial terms of the agreements were not disclosed.
Rolex becomes official timekeeper of year-end TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships
It was announced on Friday that Rolex has been named the official timekeeper of the year-end TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships for the next six years. Rolex will receive global exposure across all WTA marketing platforms including broadcast, digital and on-court branding. The watch-maker will also be the official sponsor of the Hawkeye electronic line-calling system at the year-end championships. “Rolex is a world-class global partner of professional tennis, and will make a terrific addition to our year-end finale in Istanbul,” said Stacey Allaster, Chairman and CEO of the WTA. “Rolex’s brand values include prestige, accuracy and the pursuit of excellence and I can’t think of a better brand for the WTA to align with based on our shared values. Having one of the world’s most prestigious brands as the official timekeeper shows the business alignment of women’s tennis as a global marketing platform.” Rolex’s deal marks the sixth major deal signed by the WTA Tour since the beginning of 2010.
Italian coffee brand Lavazza teams up with Wimbledon in three-year commercial partnership
Lavazza, an Italian coffee brand, has agreed to a three-year commercial partnership deal with The Championships at Wimbledon to supply their products at 60 service points at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC), including 13 public cafes and restaurants, all corporate hospitality areas and the media room. Lavazza plans to spread the word of their affiliation with Wimbledon through a European-wide print, outdoor and online media advertising campaign. The organization will also launch a new website dedicated to the partnership. “We expect to serve well over one million coffees during this year’s tournament and will use this opportunity to demonstrate Lavazza’s strength in the away-from-home market,” said Luca Piccini, Lavazza UK Managing Director. “As well as being Italy’s favorite coffee, Lavazza is also a firm favorite among Londoners, where it is brand leader with a 14% share of the roasted coffee market in the region. The sampling program will give even more people the opportunity to try Lavazza and to be convinced they want to reproduce the experience at home.”
Dunlop signs Michael Russell
Dunlop recently announced the sponsorship signing of American Michael Russell, who is currently ranked No. 90. Russell, who was most recently seen playing Rafael Nadal on Centre Court at Wimbledon on Monday, will play with a Dunlop Biomimetic 500 racquet. “Mike came to us looking for more power than he was getting with his old rackets, but he certainly wasn’t willing to sacrifice control,” said Hunter Hines, Dunlop’s Tour Level Racket Specialist. “We tested several different options, and ultimately that led us to the Biomimetic 500 which fit his game perfectly.” A 14-year ATP World Tour veteran, Russell reached the second round at the Australian Open in January and the quarterfinals in Memphis in February. “I tested quite a few frames from all the manufacturers, and these are the best rackets I’ve ever used,” said Russell. “They allow me to do many more things with the ball that I could before.”
Mercury Insurance Open ballperson tryouts set for Sunday, June 26 at LaCosta Resort and Spa
The Mercury Insurance Open presented by Tri-City Medical Center will hold an on-court tryout for prospective ballpersons on Sunday, June 26 at 1 p.m. at the LaCosta Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, Calif. “It is a very unique and positive experience to be a ballperson at a Premier Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) event like the Mercury Insurance Open,” said Raquel Giscafre, Mercury Insurance Open Tournament Director. “No one else on the court has a better view of the action than the ballpersons. You really get to experience and enjoy a different perspective of women’s professional tennis.” The session is open to experienced tennis players ten years old and older. Those selected to serve as ballpersons will be asked to work qualifying matches scheduled for Saturday, July 30 and Sunday, July 31, plus two additional days during the main draw from August 1-7. For more information regarding the ballperson tryout, please contact Ron Marquez at sdballkids@gmail.com. WTA players already committed to playing in this year’s tournament include Kim Clijsters, Ana Ivanovic, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Agnieszka Radwanska, Daniela Hantuchova, Flavia Pennetta, Maria Kirilenko, Julia Goerges and Yanina Wickmayer.
Telvent to provide weather forecasts for ATP World Tour tournaments
ATP World Tour officials announced on Tuesday that Telvent, the leading real-time IT solutions and information provider for a sustainable world, will provide its highly accurate weather forecasts and patented lightning alerting capabilities to protect players and fans from severe weather at all outdoor tournaments on tour. The ATP has chosen Telvent’s MxVision WeatherSentry Online® global edition technology to provide online displays of current and forecasted weather conditions, patented and location-specific alerts, real-time lightning detection and display, and mobile accessibility that allows ATP staff to receive the alerts, radar, and forecasts on their mobile phones. In addition, the ATP will have the ability to access custom daily forecasts for any of its events worldwide and will have access to a Telvent professional meteorologist 24 hours a day. The ATP will also have the ability to create watch and warning alerts for lightning within a particular radius of a tournament and will receive an alert when lightning has been detected within the set radius. This will allow the ATP ample time to suspend tournament play and ensure that players and fans are in a safe location before the lightning is upon them. There are a total of 62 tournaments in 32 countries across six continents each year on the ATP World Tour.
Date-Krumm becomes third oldest winner at Wimbledon
Fifteen years after losing to Steffi Graf in the Wimbledon semifinals in 1996, and three years out of a 12-year retirement, 40-year-old Kimiko Date-Krumm of Japan defeated British wild card Katie O’Brien 6-0, 7-5 on Monday to become the third oldest player to win a singles match at the All England Club. Martina Navratilova holds the record as the oldest singles match winner, when she won at the age of 47 years old. Next up for the tennis veteran is five-time champion and 31-year-old American Venus Williams.
Querrey undergoes surgery in New York, out for a couple months
World No. 40 Sam Querrey underwent surgery for bone spurs in his right elbow in New York and will likely be out for a couple months, according to his doubles partner John Isner. Querrey, who had to withdraw from Wimbledon, injured his elbow at the AEGON Championships at Queen’s Club in London two weeks ago.
British teenager Robson splits with coach Mouratoglou
British teenager Laura Robson, 17, has parted ways with coach Patrick Mouratoglou and will not search for a new coach until after she competes at Wimbledon. According to a recent Twitter post by Judy Murray, Andy’s mother, she is currently working with the adidas Player Development program, specifically Sven Groeneveld, who also helps Andy and WTA world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki.
Sybille Bammer retires from tennis following loss at Wimbledon
According to her coach, Juergen Waber, Austrian Sybille Bammer has announced her retirement from the sport of tennis following her loss on Monday in the first round at Wimbledon to Monica Niculescu of Romania. “Sybille Bammer played today her last match at an international tournament and she retired from professional tennis after a successful career,” said Waber. The 31-year-old, who reached a career-high ranking of No. 19 in 2007, won two career WTA Tour singles titles. Her best showing at a Grand Slam in singles was at the 2008 US Open where she beat No. 12 seed Marion Bartoli in the fourth round before losing to No. 2 seed Jelena Jankovic in the quarterfinals. Bammer, who has a 9-year-old daughter, earned victories during her career over Serena Williams, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Elena Dementieva, Nadia Petrova and Agnieszka Radwanska.
Li Na’s mother didn’t watch her win French Open
Defending French Open champion Li Na told Time that her mother didn’t watch her become the first Chinese player to win a Grand Slam singles title just a couple weeks ago. “I’ve asked her many times. She always answers, “’No, I have my life, and I don’t want to change,’ and also she really doesn’t enjoy the sport,” said Li. “So even after the French Open, I didn’t call her. I sent a text message saying, ‘I’m good. Now in Paris, on my way back to Munich.’ And she said, ‘I heard you won a tournament.’