Emirates has signed a five-year deal to become the official partner of the French Open tennis tournament. The contract with the Roland Garros tournament is effective from next month, with this year’s event taking place from 21 May to 9 June 2013.
“Appropriately named after famed French aviation pioneer and tennis supporter, Roland Garros, this tournament is a natural extension of our existing tennis sponsorship portfolio,” said Tim Clark, president of Emirates. “Watched by millions around the globe this acclaimed clay court championship is the perfect platform with which to align our brand.” The move follows Emirates’ signing of a sponsorship deal with the Barcelona Open tennis tournament in March.
It also sponsors the Internazionali BNL d’Italia (Italian Open). Other major tennis competitions sponsored by Emirates around the world include the US Open, the Rogers Cup, BNP Paribas Open and the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship. In France, Emirates has been the shirt sponsor of current league leaders Paris Saint-Germain since 2006 and has sponsored the Alstom Open since 2010.