BNP Paribas SA (Tokyo Branch)

09/12/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/11/2024 19:06

BNP Paribas Supports Junior Tennis Players as Official Partner of “Roland-Garros Junior Series by Renault”

BNP Paribas, an official partner of the "Roland-Garros Junior Series by Renault," which will hold its Asian series in Japan for the first time in October 2024, will assist Asian junior players to take on the world and support the promotion of tennis in Asia and Japan.

This tournament is for players under the age of 17, and the winners of the boys' and girls' singles tournaments will be awarded invitations to the main draw of the iconic clay courts of Roland-Garros Junior to be held in Paris, France in 2025. Kei Nishikori will serve as a tournament ambassador and provide support to give opportunities and experiences to junior players aiming to play in the Roland-Garros junior tournament.

Tournament Background

While there are many top professional tennis players from Europe and North America, there are currently very few players from the Asia-Pacific region who are playing actively on the world stage. In order to produce more Asian players, the initiative comes from French Tennis Federation (FFT), in collaboration with Asian Tennis Federation (ATF) and Japanese Tennis Association (JTA).

Clay courts are pivotal for junior tennis development as they promote endurance, enhance footwork, and teach strategic play due to their slower, softer surface. This helps in building technical skills, reduces injury risks, and fosters a deeper appreciation of the sport's heritage. Clay courts are currently very rare in Asia, as the only Grand Slam hold on clay, Roland-Garros would love to recreate the full experience to the Asian juniors and train them on clay.

BNP Paribas: Background behind Formation of Partnership

BNP Paribas has been supporting various tennis-related activities around the world for over 50 years since it started to sponsor tennis in 1973.
We have been providing support in Japan as well, such as the World Team Cup for wheelchair tennis held in 2016, the National High School Invitational Tennis Championship since 2017, the Japan Adaptive Stand-up Tennis Tournament since its first tournament in 2019, and the WJP Challenge Tennis (an exchange tournament transcending the boundaries of professional, wheelchair and junior players; currently called "LOVE ALL MATCH by BNP Paribas") since 2021. In 2023, we also launched the "Team Young Talents," the first of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region, to support the development of players who will lead the future of the tennis world.

"As an official partner of the "Roland-Garros Junior Series by Renault", we are honoured to be able to support Japanese junior players as they move on to the international stage. BNP Paribas supports the next generation of world-class players through programmes such as the sponsorship of the National High School Invitational Tennis Championship and the "Team Young Talents", for which Daisuke Arai, an employee athlete of BNP Paribas Japan, serves as an ambassador. We will continue to support all aspects of tennis which we have supported globally for over 50 years."

Tony Leung, Head of Territory, BNP Paribas Japan

Tournament Outline

  • Organisers: French Tennis Federation, Asian Tennis Federation, Japan Tennis Association
  • Dates: Wednesday October 16 through Sunday October 20, 2024
  • Venue: Dai-ichi Life Sogoen Tennis Club
  • Surface: Clay court
  • Draw: 32 (16 boys and 16 girls)

Sponsors

  • Presenting partner: Renault
  • Official partners: BNP Paribas, Accor
  • Official supplier: Wilson