The sponsorship – funded by Kia Motors Australia’s (KMAu) parent in South Korea – exceeds the $16 million annual support of the Australian Football League by major sponsor Toyota and also means the tennis event now receives more money from sponsors than the television rights from Seven West Media.
Lleyton Hewitt, Damien Meredith, Rafael Nadal & Craig Tiley
Tennis Australia, which last year posted revenue of $320 million, has other sponsors of the Australian Open for 2018 including Rolex ($10 million) and the ANZ Banking Group (about $7 million).
The extension of the Australian Open sponsorship in 2018 – which marks 17 years of support from Kia – was announced by KMAu’s chief operating officer, Damien Meredith, while presenting the winner’s cheque to Roger Federer after the men’s final on Sunday night.
He said the negotiations with Tennis Australia were concluded just the day before.
The deal includes the supply of a fleet of 120 vehicles for players, officials, the media and the public for the two weeks of the tournament. During the two weeks of 2017, the vehicles racked up a combined 300,000km at the hands of 200 volunteer drivers completing 20,000 trips.
Lleyton Hewitt & Rafael Nadal with the Kia Stinger
The Australian Open is Kia Motors’ sole involvement with a major tennis event, although domestically, KMAu sponsors AFL team Essendon.
Globally, the car-maker’s sponsorship includes soccer with the European Cup and World Cup; national basketball in the United States and with individual support for about four teams; and women’s golf in the US.
Kia added a touch of interest to the recent Australian Open with Lleyton Hewitt driving a Stinger between Brisbane and Melbourne and then handing the keys over to Kia global brand ambassador, Rafael Nadal.
Mr Meredith said the Australian Open entertains millions of tennis fans globally and is regarded as one of Australia’s best sporting events.
By Neil Dowling
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