Tennis Australia has switched up from former sponsor Heineken by signing a multi-year deal with South Australian brewery Coopers who will become the official beer and cider partner of the Australian Open from 2017.
The brewer will also support the entire Emirates Australian Open Series, the lead-up tournaments including the Brisbane International, Apia International Sydney, Hobart International and World Tennis Challenge (Adelaide) from 2017, with Perth’s Hopman Cup being supported from 2018.
Tennis Australia CEO and Australian Open Tournament Director, Craig Tiley, said: “The Australian Open is not just about world class tennis, it’s a fantastic social event that attracts hundreds of thousands of fans to Melbourne Park each year.
“We look forward to partnering with Coopers to deliver a range of exciting initiatives at tennis events around the country that will continue to enhance the fan experience.”
Dr Tim Cooper, Coopers Managing Director and Chief Brewer, added: “At Coopers we believe in finding and valuing true partnerships. In our experience, partners that share core values and beliefs will accomplish great things together.”
Cam Pearce, Sales and Marketing Director at Coopers, said: “We are very excited that one of this country’s premier sporting events, which has such broad and diverse appeal, will now be sponsored by a beer company that is still Australian owned and family run.
“We firmly believe Coopers and Tennis Australia will be a powerful union that will enable us to provide unique and memorable brand experiences for our collective customers, and this makes the partnership a perfect fit for Coopers.”
The 2017 Australian Open begins on Monday, January 16 2017.
In other tennis news, Sydney will host Davis Cup tennis next month for the first time in five years.
The Davis Cup World Group Play-off tie between Australia and Slovakia will be played on a purpose-built grass court at Ken Rosewall Arena, Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre from 16 to 18 September 2016.
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