The British tennis star, Emma Raducanu has signed an association with the telecommunications firm, Vodafone. In this agreement, Raducanu will be the firm’s ambassador for their ‘Play your Way to Wimbledon’ grassroots tennis event.
The brand aims to leverage the 19-year-old’s popularity to garner interest for the mass participation competition – formerly known as the ‘Road to Wimbledon’, which is jointly managed by the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC) and Vodafone.
Play your Way to Wimbledon consists of two age-group tournaments – under 14s and under 18s. The two groups will compete in June and July for an opportunity to play on SW19’s famous grass courts in August.
Vodafone confirmed that LTA and the AELTC are looking forward to expanding the tournament to gather more age groups and disability categories from 2023.
On this association, Raducanu said, “I’m so excited to be working with Vodafone to inspire the next generation of tennis players in the UK. The support I received at a grassroots level has been key to my development as a player, and I’m looking forward to helping make these initiatives even bigger, better and more accessible.”
Max Taylor, Consumer Director at Vodafone, added: “Emma has captivated the nation over the last eighteen months, delivering one of the most iconic British sporting moments in recent memory and inspiring a huge number of new players to pick up a racket for the first time.
“As the face of modern British tennis and a graduate of the LTA’s grassroots programme – which we are proud to now be supporting – Emma is the perfect person to champion the relaunch and expansion of Play Your Way to Wimbledon, powered by Vodafone and our ambition to democratise the sport and connect a new generation of fans and players.”
Following the US Open victory, Raducanu has pocketed several lucrative endorsement deals. The teenage sensation has been named as the brand ambassador of British Airways, Tiffany, Dior and Evian.