The Lawn Tennis Association says it is in talks with around 20 potential sponsors as it seeks a new title partner for its expanding championships at Queen’s Club, which start today.
The LTA wants a global brand to take the rights for a minimum of three years and believes the addition of a women’s tournament next season will make a deal worth £4m-£5m per annum.
Current sponsor Cinch will be replaced in 2025, having chosen not to renew as the online car marketplace scales down its investment in sports partnerships more widely.
“We are in the market now for a new partner to obviously work on both weeks, the female and the male weeks, at Queen’s,” LTA head of commercial partnerships Gary Stewart told City A.M.
“We’ve got about 20 brands that we’ve been speaking to, some a little bit more advanced than others… with a view of trying to get this all signed, sealed and delivered and contracted by September. That’s my goal.
“We are just really excited to deliver a first-class event for the ladies, the first time in over 50 years that this level of tournament has been in London.
“It’s really exciting for the brand that we work with, that part of that narrative and that story about bringing world-class tennis back to London, at the iconic Queen’s Club.
“We know that the range of £4m-£5m, we know that’s robust. We can back that up with evidence.
“So we’re very comfortable with that number and on initial conversations with a number of brands, we are quietly confident that we will find a partner at the right commercial number for the best interest of British tennis.”
The LTA and its sales agency Rocket Sports will hold further talks with potential partners this week at Queen’s. Agencies IMG and Two Circles have also been involved in the process.
But the governing body of British tennis has already declined a deal with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund that was put to them in conjunction with the ATP Tour.
“We turned down some money a number of months ago. The board has made a very firm stance on that,” said Stewart.
“Equally we need to be aware of what’s going on in the market and we need to be open to talking to people. Life moves on, things change and I can’t say never, but at the moment we’re not in the conversation.”