Mastercard Adds World Number One Tennis Player Naomi Osaka to Global Sponsorship Portfolio
24 May 2019 - 5:00PM
Business Wire
Osaka’s rise reflects the Asia Pacific region’s
growing influence and impact internationally
Mastercard, one of the world’s most active sponsors of major
sporting events, today announced it is partnering with two-time
Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka. It is the first time Mastercard
has added a current number one tennis player to its roster of
global ambassadors.
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Mastercard announces World Number One,
Naomi Osaka as its latest brand ambassador ahead of the French Open
at Roland Garros. She joins the brand's focus on celebrating great
women in sport. Photo credit: Rob Prange
Osaka originally shared the news over Twitter during her last
tournament, “Happy to get the first win @MutuaMadridOpen. Excited
about my new partnership with @Mastercard. Look out for cool things
in the future.” She is the first professional tennis player to wear
the Mastercard logo – on her visor – in competition.
The addition of Osaka speaks to the opportunity Mastercard sees
in Asia as a region overall, including Japan. Mastercard has
steadily built out its sponsorship strategy to ensure that both its
ambassadors and partners reflect its global footprint and embody
evolving consumer passions and preferences of its growing
cardholder base.
“Naomi is the next generation of tennis greatness and we’re
thrilled to support her quest to be the best tennis player in the
world,” said Raja Rajamannar, chief marketing and communications
officer, Mastercard. “As Asia’s first world number one player, she
is an inspiration not just to her fans in Japan and the region, but
to young girls and boys the world over. We see our relationship as
an opportunity for us to enable her – as a consumer and our brand
ambassador – to experience all the security and convenience of our
payment products and services.”
Osaka has recently risen into the global spotlight. After
winning the 2018 US Open Championship and 2019 Australian Open, she
is the sixth woman in the Open era to win her first two majors
consecutively. Born in Japan to a Haitian-American father and
Japanese mother, she currently resides in Florida.
Her presence as a Mastercard brand ambassador also reinforces
the company’s focus on championing women in sports, investing in
their professional careers and shining the light on gender
inclusion.
Mastercard’s premier circle of sports sponsorship and brand
ambassadors includes many of the world’s trailblazing and most
elite athletes in marque sporting events and organizations such as
the Roland-Garros, the Australian Open, UEFA Champions League, PGA
TOUR®, Major League Baseball, Rugby World Cup 2019, The Open
Championship, Copa América, and League of Legends eSports among
others. Mastercard uses it partnerships and assets to create
Priceless experiences and Priceless surprises to help cardholders
get closer to the games and athletes they love.
About Mastercard
Mastercard (NYSE: MA), www.mastercard.com, is a technology
company in the global payments industry. Our global payments
processing network connects consumers, financial institutions,
merchants, governments and businesses in more than 210 countries
and territories. Mastercard products and solutions make
everyday commerce activities - such as shopping, traveling, running
a business and managing finances - easier, more secure and more
efficient for everyone. Follow us on Twitter @MastercardNews,
join the discussion on the Beyond the Transaction Blog and
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190524005047/en/
Rose Beaumont, rose.beaumont@mastercard.comKara Condon,
kara.condon@mastercard.comJennifer Stalzer,
jennifer.stalzer@mastercard.com
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