Mubadala signs on as title sponsor, reinforcing company’s commitment to tennis and the Bay Area;
WTA Premier event moves to new, world-class facility at San José State University beginning 2018
SAN JOSÉ, CA (January 29, 2018) - IMG today announced that the longest-running women’s professional tournament on the WTA tour has signed Mubadala Investment Company as its new title sponsor. IMG has also entered into a long-term agreement with San José State University to host the event beginning in 2018, reinforcing its commitment to keeping the WTA Premier event in California’s Bay Area.
Through this partnership, Mubadala expands its robust sponsorship portfolio in tennis, which includes title sponsorship of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship, an invitational event held in Abu Dhabi in late December, and the Rio Open, an ATP 500 event held in Brazil each February.
"Mubadala is proud to support this tournament, which has such a tremendous heritage in the Bay Area and women’s tennis,” said Nadine Saleh Hassan, Senior Vice President for Communications at Mubadala. “Silicon Valley is associated with innovation and great thinking, and we want to play a part in keeping such a championship-level sporting event in this area for fans and players alike.”
“IMG has a long-standing global relationship with Mubadala and we’re looking forward to leveraging their expertise in technology and innovation to raise the entertainment value at this event for our fans,” said WME and IMG Co-President Mark Shapiro. “Mubadala’s commitment to the growth of tennis is inspiring and makes the company an ideal partner.”
The 2018 Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic will take place July 30 - August 5, 2018 and is the first event in the US Open Series, a five-week sequence of hard-court tournaments that lead up to the US Open.
It will be played at the newly opened Spartan Tennis Complex, which currently includes a 15-acre complex featuring six fully illuminated outside courts, with plans for a further six indoor courts. As part of the agreement, San José State University will build a custom stadium court adjacent to the Spartan Tennis Complex with temporary seating for 4,000 fans. The overall facility will include a state-of-the-art locker room, player’s lounge and administrative offices. Players competing in the event will also have full access to other world-class Spartan athletic facilities during the event.
“Once we were notified that we would have to move the event to another location, our top priority was finding a way to keep the tournament in the Bay Area,” said Vickie Gunnarsson, Tournament Director of the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic. “When we met with San José State University, we could tell right away that they would be a great partner willing to invest in and help us grow the tournament.”
“Northern California is known for its outstanding tennis at all levels and its support of professional tennis tournaments. It will be a privilege to host a world-class event like the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic. We look forward to welcoming some of the most elite women’s tennis players in the world at our new Spartan Tennis Complex with the same hospitality, energy and service as when we hosted the Carolina Panthers for Super Bowl 50 and Lionel Messi and the Argentina national men’s soccer team for Copa Americano 2016,” says Marie Tuite, San José State University’s director of athletics.
First played in 1971, the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic is a Premier WTA event and features a 28-player singles draw as well as a 16-team doubles draw. The event is owned and operated by IMG and serves as the opening women's event of the US Open Series. Its list of past champions reads like a who's who of women's tennis including Serena Williams, Lindsay Davenport, Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Andrea Jaeger, Monica Seles, Martina Hingis, Venus Williams and Kim Clijsters.
ABOUT THE MUBADALA SILICON VALLEY CLASSIC: The Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic is the longest-running women-only professional tennis tournament in the world and is the first women’s stop of the US Open Series. Owned and operated by IMG, the WTA Premier event features a 28-player singles draw and a 16-team doubles draw with total prize money of $799,280.
ABOUT MUBADALA: Mubadala is Abu Dhabi’s leading strategic investment company, active in 13 sectors and more than 30 countries around the world. Mubadala is a pioneering global investor, deploying capital with integrity and ingenuity to accelerate economic growth for the long-term benefit of Abu Dhabi. Mubadala owns GLOBALFOUNDRIES, the world’s second-largest pure-play semiconductor foundry with more than 7,000 employees in the United States. It is also opening its first US office in the Bay Area in 2018, focusing on ventures investments in technology. Headquartered in Abu Dhabi, it is the largest shareholder in Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and has investments across 13 key sectors across 30 countries. Their work includes the development of global industrial champions in sectors such as aerospace, ICT, semiconductors, metals & mining and renewable energy, utilities, and the management of diverse financial holdings. They build on legacy expertise in oil and gas to invest across the hydrocarbon spectrum, and enhance the UAE’s growth potential through investments in healthcare, real estate and defence services. Their investment approach prioritizes partnership with best-in-class organizations and a commitment to the highest standards of governance.
ABOUT THE US OPEN SERIES: Entering its 15th season, the world's best players on the WTA and ATP World Tour are coming together for the US Open Series. Linking seven summer WTA and ATP World Tour tournaments to the US Open, the US Open Series serves as a true regular season of hard court tennis.
Featuring a cohesive schedule, the Series centralizes the way tennis is viewed in North America, across multiple television and digital platforms. Fans will see today's top champions go head-to-head with tomorrow's emerging stars, as storylines develop throughout the summer season. Each tournament also engages its local community with a variety of outreach initiatives, including grassroots youth tennis clinics and activities.
ABOUT IMG: IMG is a global leader in sports, fashion, events and media, operating in more than 30 countries. The company manages some of the world’s greatest sports figures and fashion icons; stages hundreds of live events and branded entertainment experiences annually; and is a leading independent producer and distributor of sports and entertainment media. IMG also specializes in sports training and league development, as well as marketing, media and licensing for brands, sports organizations and collegiate institutions. IMG is part of the Endeavor (formerly WME | IMG) network.
ABOUT SAN JOSÉ STATE UNIVERSITY: The founding campus of the 23-campus California State University system, San José State provides a comprehensive university education, granting bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in 250 areas of study – offered through its eight colleges. With more than 33,000 students and nearly 4,370 employees, San José State University continues to be an essential partner in the economic, cultural and social development of Silicon Valley and the state, annually contributing 10,000 graduates to the workforce. The university is immensely proud of the accomplishments of its more than 260,000 alumni, 60 percent of whom live and work in the Bay Area.