The Australian Open has announced a multi-year partnership with waterdrop. As the Official Bottle Partner, the hydration company will provide reusable stainless-steel bottles to players, their teams and employees of the Australian Open and Summer of Tennis events – a crucial step in providing sustainable hydration.
In addition to providing water bottles for all players and staff, waterdrop will be on-site to offer fans a variety of personalised bottles, samples of the latest Microdrink hydration cubes, and memorable experiences through meet and greets with waterdrop ambassadors.
Players at Australian Open 2024 were provided with waterdrop bottles, which they were able to refill directly on-court with filtered, high-quality Melbourne tap water.
As a result, Australian Open 2024 achieved a 99 per cent reduction in single-use plastic in player areas, with around 800 players refilling more than 5,600 litres of water sustainably. More than 280 water dispensers stationed throughout the precinct also provided free drinking water for fans and everyone onsite.
Building on this commitment, waterdrop is partnering with Summer of Tennis tournaments including the United Cup in Perth and Sydney, the Brisbane International, Canberra International, Adelaide International, and Hobart International, to promote sustainable hydration practices across all events.
“We are very excited to partner with waterdrop. With its focus on sustainability and providing high-quality products, it’s a great fit for the Australian Open and the Summer of Tennis. We have already built a strong foundation and are excited about the positive impact we can make together in the coming years as part of our broader climate action strategy,” Tennis Australia’s Chief Commercial Officer Cedric Cornelis said.
“The Australian Open, alongside waterdrop, was the first Grand Slam to offer players the local tap water in the dedicated refill points placed on-court, resulting in significant reductions in single-use plastic. We also have hundreds of water stations in player areas like gyms and lounges as well as across the precinct, supplying high-quality Melbourne drinking water to both tournament personnel and fans, who we encourage to bring refillable water bottles.”
Waterdrop pursues its ‘Drink More Water’ mission in both day-to-day life and elite sports. The Austrian hydration company has long had a foothold in the world of tennis and in 2023, tennis legend Novak Djokovic joined as an investor and brand ambassador. Waterdrop has attracted many tennis stars as investors including Elina Svitolina, Taylor Fritz, Andrey Rublev, Hubert Hurkacz, Sebastian Korda and Cameron Norrie.
“When we founded waterdrop in 2016, we would never have dreamed that we would one day enter into a partnership with one of the biggest tennis events in the world. The Australian Open has achieved cult status for athletes and fans alike and stands for tennis at the highest level and a very special atmosphere that lives up to the nickname 'Happy Slam',” Martin Murray, founder and CEO of waterdrop, said.
“We are incredibly honoured to be able to contribute to this prestigious event and, bottle by bottle, bring more sustainability to the world of tennis."
The exclusive AO player bottle will be available for fans to purchase at AO 2025. Designed exclusively for the Happy Slam, the bottle features the AO’s iconic tennis court blue. The double-walled stainless steel body keeps the water cool even in full sun, providing up to 24 hours of chilled refreshment.
The AO player bottle will be available to buy online with the purchase of AO tickets from mid-October and in the AO Shop and through waterdrop in Australia and New Zealand from mid-November.