ATP Barcelona: Tennium clings Lizent from IMG - Gerard Pique runs out of space
The Barcelona Open have concluded a new management contract. For three years Tennium is the license holder of the ATP clay court tournament, so IMG has to hand over the tournament.
by Lukas Zahrer
last edit: Nov 30, 2019, 08:48 pm
In addition to the two marketers, according to Spanish media reports, Kosmos, the international sports investment company owned by Gerard Pique, has also sought the license. Kosmos had stirred up the tennis scene with the acquisition of the Davis Cup Finals. Mediapro, Octagon and RPM-MKTG also showed interest, but divorced early from the race.
Already last spring, the president of the tennis club of Barcelona, in which the 500 tournament is held, hinted at a marketer change. In an interview, he called for the spending model to be adapted. IMG has been the organizer of the Barcelona Open since the nineties.
The contract begins in 2021 and represents the first tournament for Tennium in the 500 category. The agency already has Buenos Aires and Antwerp in its portfolio. The biggest challenge at the Barcelona Open is to increase the sponsorship money for the tournament. The contract with main sponsor Banco Sabadell expires in 2021.
Tennium is the agency of ex-professional Sebastien Grosjean and Belgian businessman Kristoff Puelinckx. Feliciano Lopez, Marc Lopez, Tommy Robredo and Lara Arruabarrena are among the figureheads.
Dominic Thiem won the edition of the Barcelona Open last April with a clear two-set win in the final over Daniil Medvedev. Previously Thiem had taken away local hero Rafael Nadal from the tournament.