The Australian Open continues to strengthen its ties with Asia with a series of announcements and events designed to increase tourism, promote the tournament and attract new partners from the region.
Australian Open Tournament Director Craig Tiley said the Australian Open continues to grow throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
“For more than 10 years the Australian Open has been known as the Grand Slam of Asia-Pacific and there has never been a more important time for us to promote the event and deepen our ties and relationships throughout the region,” Tiley said.
“China continues to be a major focus for our organisation and we are excited by ongoing opportunities to not only attract new partners but also host events, such as the AO Asia-Pacific Wildcard Play-off in Zhuhai, providing chances for players throughout the region and developing new fans for the sport.
“Japan is home to some very long-standing relationships as well as some pretty significant new ones. With the recent success of Naomi Osaka at the US Open and the return of Kei Nishikori, the popularity of tennis is at an all-time high.
“Early this year, we cemented one of the biggest partnerships in Australian sporting history when we signed a landmark five-year extension with Major Sponsor Kia Motors. It was incredibly exciting to see Hyeon Chung become the first male player from Asia to reach a Grand Slam semifinal at the Australian Open, and the interest in his story saw South Korea become a key growth story for us, with broadcast audiences rising by 481% this year.
“We have also expanded our attention in the region to include India for the first time. As home of some of the world’s most passionate sports fans, India has a proud tennis history with local stars such as Sania Mirza, Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupati all achieving Grand Slam wins at the Australian Open in Melbourne,” Tiley continued.
Road to the AO
- The Australian Open was officially launched in Tokyo last month at an exclusive event attended by Japanese superstar Kei Nishikori
- Dunlop was named official ball partner of Australian Open 2019. The new five-year partnership will see Dunlop provide the Official Ball for the first Grand Slam of the year as well as at all levels of tennis in Australia
- Japanese sporting manufacturer Yonex extended their agreement as official Australian Open stringer in a new multi-year deal. The partnership extension was announced at the Australian Open launch function in Tokyo
- The Australian Open in India for the first time by tennis legend Todd Woodbridge in late September. He was joined by the Governor of Victoria, the Hon. Linda Dessau AC, Australia’s Deputy High Commissioner to India Rod Hilton and Asian Tennis Federation President and All India Tennis Association Life President Anil Kumar Khanna at the R. K. Khanna Tennis Complex in New Delhi
- A strategic three-year partnership between the Australian Open and global leader in consulting, technology and next-generation services, Infosys was announced in September. The Indian company Infosys will leverage its expertise in emerging technologies as the Official Digital Innovation partner of the AO
- An Australian Open global announcement will take place in Shanghai this evening before returning to China later in the month for three-days of official launch events
- Chinese real estate developer Foriseland’s development SPIRIT, soon to be one of the world’s leading luxury residences located on the Gold Coast was named the Official Residential Property Development Partner in China and will benefit from premium onsite hospitality experiences as well as virtual advertising, with the objective of reaching new audiences in China
- The Australian Open Asia-Pacific Wildcard Play-off will return to China’s sporting mecca Zhuhai in November. Now in its seventh year, top players from Asia-Pacific will compete for a coveted Australian Open 2019 main draw wildcard at the world class Hengqin International Tennis Center.
"The Asia-Pacific region is a major priority for Tennis Australia and many of our partners including Major Sponsor Kia Motors,” Tiley said.
“We have 11 well-established broadcast partnerships in the region and have recently extended our deal with Japanese sporting manufacturer Yonex as Official Stringer of the Australian Open.
“It is a testament to the strength of the Australian Open’s reach that we have signed new Asia-based partners such as Indian technology company Infosys, Chinese real estate developer Foriseland and Japanese company Dunlop.
“We have been extremely fortunate to have the assistance of both the Australian and Victorian Governments in our endeavours to promote the Australian Open, tourism and trade within the region,” Tiley continued.