| Dunlop |
 | | Dunlop |
Dunlop are pleased to announce that they have become an official sponsor of ITF Junior tennis. Dunlop has signed an agreement until 2010 to become the Official Racket, String and Grip of the ITF's 14 & under and 16 & under international team competitions, the World Junior Tennis competition and Junior Davis Cup by BNP Paribas/Junior Fed Cup by BNP Paribas respectively.
The two competitions have consistently attracted the world's leading juniors, with Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Roddick, Lindsay Davenport and Amelie Mauresmo all having competed for the titles. Dunlop ambassador Tommy Robredo is also among the impressive list of former participants.
This year's events will feature over 300 teams from 84 countries. Sixteen boys and girls teams contested at the World Junior Tennis Finals at Prostejov, Czech Republic which took place on 6-11 August, while the Finals of the Junior Davis Cup by BNP Paribas/Junior Fed Cup by BNP Paribas will be held in Reggio Emilia, Italy on 25-30 September.
Dunlop’s Head of Marketing, Robin Gibson, said: "This sponsorship makes perfect sense for Dunlop – the ITF’s Junior Team Competitions are played by the World’s best junior players and it makes for a fantastic opportunity for Dunlop to create some brand loyalty with the top players at a young age.
“The provision of a stringing service by Dunlop at the Finals of both competitions gives us the perfect chance to interact with the players and offer them the chance to use Dunlop strings in their rackets.”
Jan Menneken, ITF Executive Director, Commercial said: "We are delighted to see Dunlop partner with our Junior Team Competitions. When you look at the previous players of these competitions, it makes sense for a racket company like Dunlop to have some standout at these events and offer services to the players that help create a feel good factor with the brand.”
Dunlop’s new range of Aerogel rackets incorporates the new cutting edge Dunlop AEROGEL™ technology. The three-dimensional nanometer-sized molecular network delivers an unmatched strength to weight ratio for enhanced stiffness and increased power on all models in the range.
Dunlop currently has four senior players in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Top 11 - more than any other brand. Current Dunlop players all playing with the exciting new Dunlop Aerogel technology include Tommy Robredo (7th), Tommy Haas (9th), James Blake (10th), and Tomas Berdych (11th) and Alicia Molik. John McEnroe also signed with Dunlop in 1981, and still currently uses Dunlop as his racket of choice. Dunlop is also the official ball of Roland Garros.
More information will be available soon at www.dunlopsport.com.
 | | Dunlop D Squad |
Dunlop’s D Squad programme aims to provide a global grassroots initiative for their international regions to encourage racket usage amongst junior tennis players worldwide. The programme will aim to identify and monitor future potential players for international sponsorship, whilst increasing awareness of and contact with the Dunlop Brand.
The programme will offer premium packages to the top 10 juniors from each age group in each of the regions; Under 12’s, Under 14’s, and Under 16’s - both boys and girls. These packs will include up to five AerogelTM Rackets, an AerogelTM thermo bag, a wheelie bag and backpack, Dunlop strings and grips. Gold and silver packs are also available to players at a discounted price.
The D Squad initiative hopes to create an elite group of talented tennis players, some of whom are already playing at a professional level. Current D Squad members include four of the ATP top 15, James Blake, Tommy Robredo, Tommy Haas and Tomas Berdych as well as Nicolas Almagro and Jamie Murray. These players all currently use the new range of AerogelTM rackets.
D Squad members can access the programme through www.dunlopsport.com and also through a specialized group forum that has been created on the Facebook social networking site.
| The above documents are in Adobe Acrobat format. To view and print them you require the Acrobat Reader program installed on your computer. Click on the icon to download a free copy of the Reader. |  |
^ Back to Top
|
