Dunlop to become official ball partner of the Hamburg European Open
Dunlop will provide the official ball for the Hamburg European Open 2020. The company with its German headquarters in Hanau will also be the new stringing partner of the prestigious ATP 500 event, which will be held from September 19 to 27.
“With its balls and rackets, Dunlop has a similar long tradition as the Rothenbaum tournament. We also have in common that we both don’t look back and rest on tradition but want to present ourselves in a very modern way and with a new face,” tournament director Sandra Reichel said on Friday. “We are very happy to have Dunlop as an important sponsor. Especially in these uncertain times, strong partners are an essential support to host our tournament at such short notice.”
Frank Binder, Marketing Manager Europe at Dunlop, said: “We are delighted to provide the official match ball for the Hamburg European Open 2020. It is an excellent tennis event with a long tradition.” At the clay-court event held in the Free and Hanseatic city, the “Dunlop ATP Ball” will be used, which offers the highest quality in a wide variety of conditions and on all surfaces. “Dunlop is the number one ball on the ATP tour and is used at more ATP tournaments than any other brand,” emphasized Frank Binder.
In addition to the Nitto ATP Finals in London, the official Dunlop ATP Tour Ball will also be played at numerous other top-class ATP Tour events this autumn, such as the Internazionali BNL d’Italia Masters in Rome and the ATP 500 tournament in Vienna. At the start of the 2021 season, Dunlop will again provide the official ball for the first Grand Slam of the year at the Australian Open.
The entry list of the Hamburg European Open is led by World No. 5 Daniil Medvedev of Russia. The 24-year-old from Moscow will be joined at the 114th edition of the tournament by fellow top 10 players Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece, Italy’s Matteo Berrettini, Frenchman Gael Monfils and David Goffin of Belgium.
After an injury and by using his protected ranking of World No. 14, Dunlop contract player and 2018 Wimbledon finalist Kevin Anderson from South African, will also be part of the line-up. Two-time reigning champion Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia, who is new to the Dunlop family, will aim to win the title in Hamburg for a third-straight year.
In addition to the stringing system, Dunlop will also be presenting the new 2020/21 tennis products on the grounds of the Hamburg European Open. The focus will be on the new premium racket series Dunlop Powered by Srixon SX and FX, which will be available in selected sports retailers.
About Dunlop
Dunlop is owned by Sumitomo Rubber Industries and is headquartered in Kobe, Japan. Dunlop has a legendary history in tennis. Current tour players using Dunlop products are Anderson, Basilashvili, Donald Young (USA), Heather Watson (Great Britain), Jamie Murray (Great Britain), Taylor Townsend (USA), Zarina Diyas (Kazakhstan) and Kurumi Nara (Japan). The US legends James Blake and Michael Chang as well as the star coaches Patrick Mouratoglou and Nick Bollettieri are brand ambassadors. Learn more at www.dunlopsports.com.
About Dunlop’s parent company Sumitomo Rubber Industries
Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI) was founded in Kobe, Japan, in 1909 and employs over 37,000 people worldwide. Sales are approximately eight billion US dollars. SRI acquired the worldwide rights to the Dunlop brand in April 2017 and owns the sports brands Srixon, Cleveland Golf and XXIO. SRI specializes in the tire industry, but also manufactures rubber-based products for many other industries such as the medical, construction and marine sectors as well as for sports facilities.
