By Ashley Marshall, USTA.com
The next generation of homegrown American players received a prominent boost on Thursday with the announcement of a multi-year grass-roots partnership with adidas Tennis.
As part of the joint venture between the USTA and the sporting goods company, adidas will become an official sponsor of the USTA National Campus, USTA Player Development and USTA League.
In addition, it will become the exclusive presenting sponsor of the USTA National Junior Rankings and newly named “USTA adidas Junior Championship Series,” a series of five tournaments aimed at the 18- and 16-and-under levels.
“We’re excited about the fact that adidas is a global leader, and we aspire to the same position as a federation to be the best in the world,” said USTA Player Development General Manager Martin Blackman. “The most important thing is the example that adidas is giving to the tennis industry by making a direct investment back into the sport and to the junior pathway, player development and community tennis.”
"It’s incredibly exciting to have adidas coming on board to support Team USA at both the USTA National Campus and at our top national junior competitions every year," Blackman contnued. "The success of our sport depends on the success of the international tennis industry as a whole. Our partnership with a global leader like adidas will enable our player development team to reflect the look and professionalism that exemplifies Team USA. The partnership supports our mission: to maximize the potential of every American player to ensure a successful future for American tennis.”
adidas will have naming rights throughout the USTA National Campus, the Home of American Tennis, in Orlando, Fla., and have an extensive branding presence throughout. Moreover, the adidas performance center which will serve as home to the USTA’s player development division. adidas will also become the official outfitter and apparel partner for player development, outfitting the coaching staff in adidas gear.
The partnership will impact many of America’s most passionate adult players, as competitors in the USTA League program, the country’s largest recreational tennis league with more than 800,000 participants nationwide, will have the opportunity to take advantage of a new team uniform program beginning in 2017.
"We are very excited about partnering with the USTA," said David Malinowski, senior director of adidas Tennis US. "The USTA's commitment to the player development program aligns with our mission as a brand and we are focused on helping make the next generation of athletes better from the grass-roots level on up.
“It’s really an amazing opportunity for us and adidas is really excited to be a part of this. Our belief at adidas is that through sport we have the power to change lives, and this partnership is going to change the opportunity for many young an up-and-coming Americans to be the next great American tennis player.”
As presenting sponsor of the adidas Easter Bowl tournament and the USTA adidas Junior Championship Series, adidas will be supporting some of the most prestigious junior tournaments throughout the U.S.
"The USTA and our player development unit are continually looking for ways to put our coaches and our staff in the best possible position, not only to help us grow the game of tennis but to help develop the next generation of great American champions,” said USTA Chief Revenue Officer Lew Sheer. “In many respects it was an obvious choice. Expertise can be brought over from other sports … and we thought that was particularly opportunistic for us as well.”