Dunlop named new official ball partner for Australian tennis

Tennis Australia has agreed a five-year partnership that will see Dunlop become the official ball partner of the Australian Open from 2019.

Replacing Wilson, the 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.

Announcing the deal, Tennis Australia Chief Executive and Australian Open Tournament Director Craig Tiley (pictured below) stated “we are delighted to partner with Dunlop on the new Australian Open ball.

“Our aim is to provide the players with the best possible playing environment and we believe they will be very happy with the quality, standard and consistency of play of the new AO Dunlop ball in a wide variety of conditions.

“We’ve worked closely with Dunlop for some time and are impressed with their quality control at every stage, from design right through to the manufacturing process. Many of our current and former players have also put the new ball through its paces, both in Australia and around the world, and this process will be ongoing to ensure there’s consistency of play in a variety of conditions.”

Kiyoshi Ikawa, Head of the Tennis Division for Dunlop parent company SRI, added “the new partnership with the Australian Open and Tennis Australia represents a landmark moment for Dunlop.

“Partnering with a Grand Slam gives us an opportunity to reach new audiences and reaffirms the dedication we have to producing tennis products of the highest standards.

“Tour players often refer to the Dunlop balls as being the best on tour and we’ve worked tirelessly throughout a detailed development process with Tennis Australia. Specifications of the ball have been tested by current and ex-players, Tennis Australia members and coaches to ensure we deliver the perfect ball for what’s regarded as the most popular Grand Slam of the year among the players.”

Dunlop will provide the official ball for the Australian Open and its lead-in events along with being an official Tennis Australia partner supporting grassroots tennis programs throughout Australia including providing Dunlop low compression balls for the key development program ANZ Tennis Hot Shots.