FRENCH LIFESTYLE brand Lacoste has signed a five-year extension of its official partnership with Tennis Australia through 2018.
Under the deal, Lacoste, which celebrates its 80th anniversary this year, remains the official supplier of The Australian Open, providing uniforms for officials and ball boys at the Grand Slam event.
The Melbourne Park venue for the Australian Open houses three Lacoste retail areas across the tennis complex – at the Grand Slam Oval, Margaret Court Arena and the concourse of the Rod Laver Arena.
The new five-year deal is symbolic of the brand’s ongoing commitment to tennis in the region, said Frank Cancelloni, CEO of Lacoste Asia Pacific.
“It is a further demonstration of Lacoste’s attachment to tennis as well as the voluntary and active policy of our brand in this sport, and of its commitment to keep investing in the Asia Pacific region,” he said.
The Australia Open apart, the Lacoste brand is currently reinforced through official partnerships at Roland-Garros (where adidas is also an official partner), the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals and the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Of the other Grand Slam events, American fashion label Ralph Lauren has been official outfitter to Wimbledon since 2006 and the US Open since 2005.