Under the terms of the agreement, the competition will be renamed the Davis Cup by Rakuten. The partnership agreement links the Davis Cup with Rakuten until 2020, with the option of a further two-year extension. Rakuten will have high visibility in the Finals and Qualifiers.
Mickey Mikitani, Chairman and CEO, Rakuten, Inc. said, “By becoming the global partner of the Davis Cup, Rakuten has taken another important step forward in our mission to inspire and empower people across the globe. We are firm believers in the power of sport to bring people and communities together, and to inspire optimism and innovation.”
David Haggerty, ITF President, said, “We are delighted to welcome Rakuten as Global Presenting and Global Innovation and Entertainment partner. The Davis Cup has always been about maintaining tradition while embracing innovation. Adopting new technologies for the Davis Cup is allowing us to enter exciting new partnerships, and we look forward to working with Rakuten to reach a global audience in new and diverse ways.”
Javier Alonso, CEO of Kosmos Tennis, said, "Having Rakuten as the main sponsor of the event is great news for the Davis Cup, the World Cup of Tennis. Innovation and entertainment is key for both Rakuten and Kosmos. We are excited about working together to create new engagement formulas of interaction with the fans both inside and outside of Caja Mágica in order to improve their experience with the Davis Cup Qualifiers and the Madrid Finals."
Rakuten, empowering people and society through sports
With over 1.2 billion members worldwide, Rakuten will leverage its experience and expertise in e-commerce and membership loyalty programs to bring global innovation to the Davis Cup through digital and offline activations aimed at enhancing the complete fan experience. Future plans include opening up new avenues of online communication and content-sharing for supporters, including use of the Rakuten Viber global messaging platform, and creating new programs that will engage and reward fans both in-venue and globally.
Rakuten is globally recognized for its partnerships with sporting icons such as FC Barcelona, the Golden State Warriors and the National Basketball Association, and its ownership of J.League professional soccer team Vissel Kobe and Nippon Professional Baseball team Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles. The company also serves as the title sponsor of the Association of Tennis Professionals Rakuten Japan Open since 2009 and contributes to sports worldwide as part of its mission of empowering people and communities.
Tickets on sale now
Tickets for the Davis Cup Madrid Finals, which will be held from November 18 to 24 at Caja Mágica in Madrid, are on sale now via the official website. Tickets start from €25 and special rates for children are also included.
The 18 teams competing for the chance to become world champion and raise the Davis Cup trophy are Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands, Russia, Serbia, Spain and the United States.
The Davis Cup Finals begin with a group phase of 18 qualified teams competing in six groups of three countries competing against each other, each tie consisting of three matches (two singles and one doubles) in three sets with tie break matches. The six group winners, plus the best two seconds — based on the number of matches, sets, games and points earned — will qualify for the quarterfinals. The Davis Cup World Champions will be crowned at the end of the knockout phase.
About the Davis Cup
Davis Cup is the World Cup of Tennis. It is the largest annual international team competition in sport, with 133 nations entered in 2019. The competition is 119 years old, having been founded in 1900. From this year, the competition will see 18 countries and the world’s best players compete in a week-long season finale to be crowned Davis Cup champions. The first edition of the new format event will be held in Madrid from November 18-24 hosted at the iconic La Caja Mágica. The 12 winning teams from February Qualifiers are joining the 2018 semi-finalists plus two wild card teams in the 18-countries Davis Cup season finale.
About Rakuten
Rakuten, Inc. (TSE: 4755) is a global leader in internet services that empower individuals, communities, businesses and society. Founded in Tokyo in 1997 as an online marketplace, Rakuten has expanded to offer services in e-commerce, fintech, digital content and communications to more than 1.2 billion members around the world. The Rakuten Group has over 17,000 employees, and operations in 30 countries and regions.
For more information visit https://global.rakuten.com/corp/.
