Aegon-LTA Deal Bolstered By Improving British Tennis Fortunes
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Many Feel Murray's Recent Play
Helped LTA Land Aegon Deal |
With Netherlands-based insurance company Aegon reaching a five-year, US$53.6M deal with the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) to become the organization's first Lead Partner of British Tennis, the "improving fortunes of British tennis must ... have made the deal more attractive than it would once have been," according to Eleanor Preston of the Manchester GUARDIAN. ATP Tour player Andy Murray, a Scotland native, reached the U.S. Open final before falling to Roger Federer, and his brother Jamie Murray was runner-up in the U.S. Open mixed doubles competition. In addition, U.K. junior player Laura Robson "won the girls' Wimbledon title." Aegon CEO Otto Thoresen: "People are taking an interest in tennis now in a way that they perhaps weren't before. The success that the Murray brothers have achieved has brought a focus and an enthusiasm and an interest in the sport which clearly means that the momentum that we can get from this is likely to be significantly enhanced." Preston writes the "most appealing element [of the deal] for Aegon must be the naming rights it has secured to the British grass-court events which lead into Wimbledon." Meanwhile, landing "such a lucrative sponsorship ... is a considerable commercial coup" for the LTA during "these uncertain times for financial institutions" (Manchester GUARDIAN, 9/17). In London, Mark Hodgkinson writes, "Without a certain Andy Murray, it is highly unlikely that Aegon would have been willing to spend this sort of money. ... Because of Murray, the tennis economy is looking stronger" (London TELEGRAPH, 9/17).
QUEEN'S CLUB: Aegon as part of the deal will take over the naming rights of the ATP Tour event at Queen's Club, which Stella Artois vacated earlier this year. In London, Neil Harman reports the Queen's Club membership "knew nothing about the deal," and the club's BOD meeting tomorrow night will seek "answers to some leading questions, not least how much control the club will have over what many still consider to be their tournament." How much of Aegon's "largesse will be used to retain the services" of top ATP Tour players for next year's tournament was "not answered directly." But LTA CEO Roger Draper said that "'silly money' would not be spent on the guarantees that are written into the contracts of the marquee players." Draper: "One of the best ways to inspire young people is to see stars like [Rafael] Nadal, [Novak] Djokovic and, of course, Andy Murray playing tennis in Britain. The standards that have been set at the tournament have been extremely high, but we believe we can do better" (LONDON TIMES, 9/17).
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