World number 14 Feliciano López joins team Ellesse.
• Spaniard joined by Monica Puig, winner of the WTA Rising Stars Invitational in 2014.
• New sponsorships extend ellesse’s global presence in tennis having returned to the sport in 2014.
Sportswear brand ellesse have strengthened their position in professional tennis by announcing that Feliciano López and Monica Puig will wear ellesse apparel in 2015.
The acquisition of López, the world number 14, and Puig, who is Latin America’s highest ranked female tennis player, is a major boost for the iconic tennis brand ahead of the new season.
The move extends ellesse’s sponsorship commitments, having returned to the top level of the sport last year, through apparel sponsorship deals with Grand Slam semi-finalist Tommy Haas and rising WTA star Elina Svitolina.
A brand rich with tennis history, ellesse was previously worn by Grand Slam champions including Chris Evert, Boris Becker, Guillermo Vilas, Pat Cash and Goran Ivanisevic.
Feliciano López will wear ellesse kit for the first time, when he faces Andy Murray at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi today.
He said: “I’m delighted to be joining a brand with such a proud history within tennis and am looking forward to wearing ellesse clothing this season.
“Having reached a career high ranking last year, I’m hoping that 2015 could be another big year for me on the ATP Tour. It’s great to have a new major sponsor like ellesse supporting me and I can’t wait to start the season here in Abu Dhabi.”
Monica Puig said: “To be named as one of ellesse’s new brand ambassadors is a great honour, and I am very excited to become a part of the rich history that ellesse already has in tennis. I’ve loved their tennis clothing for some time and jumped at the opportunity to wear it on court next season.
“Winning my first WTA title in 2014 in Strasbourg and the Rising Stars Invitational in October in Singapore during the WTA Finals was a great end to last season and I hope that with the support of ellesse, I can achieve ever more success in 2015.”
Marco Ellerker, Global Brand President of ellesse said: “2015 promises to be an exciting year for ellesse as we upscale our global presence in tennis. We are delighted to have added two top players to our roster, and look forward to welcoming Feliciano López and Monica Puig to the ellesse family.”
