NEW YORK, N.Y. (June 17, 2010) – World TeamTennis announced today that GEICO will be the presenting sponsor of the 2010 WTT Pro League, the coed professional tennis league co-founded by Billie Jean King.
The WTT Pro League presented by GEICO begins its regular season on July 5 in ten U.S. markets, culminating with the WTT Finals presented by GEICO and the City of Kansas City on July 25 in Kansas City, Mo. The lineup for the 2010 season features some of the biggest names in tennis including world No. 1 Serena Williams, the world’s top-ranked doubles team of Bob and Mike Bryan, Venus Williams, Andy Roddick, Maria Sharapova, Martina Hingis, John McEnroe, Kim Clijsters, James Blake, Anna Kournikova, Lindsay Davenport and Michael Chang.
Since 2005, GEICO has been the official auto insurance sponsor of the WTT Pro League and presenting sponsor of the WTT Coaches Challenge which introduced instant replay to professional tennis competition.
GEICO will extend its activation as the presenting sponsor with League-wide branding and signage initiatives including baseline signage, net post covers, umpire boxes, instant replay boxes and LED screens.
GEICO is also the presenting sponsor of 2010 WTT Smash Hits, the annual charity event co-hosted by Billie Jean King and Sir Elton John.
WTT co-founder Billie Jean King is currently featured in two tennis-themed GEICO commercials with the GEICO Caveman. These commercials will also include a tag promoting the upcoming WTT Pro League season.
"We applaud World Team Tennis for putting together a unique program that challenges players and entertains fans," said Rynthia Rost, GEICO vice president. "We see how WTT inspires people to be connected to the sport and enjoy the competition. We’re delighted to once again take part in the upcoming WTT season."
"GEICO has been a great long-term partner and we’re excited to grow our relationship with them," said WTT CEO/Commissioner Ilana Kloss. "We know from experience that GEICO is committed to the sport of tennis and is especially creative in their sponsorship activation."
About WTT Pro League
The World Team Tennis (WTT) Pro League presented by GEICO showcases the best in professional team tennis with the innovative coed team format co-founded by Billie Jean King in the 1970s. The WTT Pro League, which celebrates its 35th season in July 2010, is a showcase for three generations of tennis standouts, including legends, current tour players and future champions. Since the League's debut, virtually every major champion of the Open era has played World TeamTennis. WTT is well known for showcasing and introducing innovative elements to tennis including instant replay, coed format, cumulative and no-ad scoring, on-court coaching, Overtime and Supertiebreakers, multi-colored courts and player names on the back of shirts.
Official WTT Pro League sponsors for the 2010 season include Acura, DecoTurf, GEICO, Novo Nordisk, Solfire and Wilson Racquet Sports. The United States Tennis Association (USTA) is a minority owner and promotional partner of World TeamTennis. WTT and the USTA are teaming up on number of initiatives, including development of the youth market through junior team tennis programs.
For more information on the WTT Pro League, visit www.WTT.com.
GEICO (Government Employees Insurance Company) is a member of the Berkshire Hathaway family of companies and is the third-largest private passenger auto insurance company in the United States. GEICO provides millions of auto insurance quotes to U.S. drivers annually. The company is pleased to serve more than 11 million private passenger customers and insures more than 18 million vehicles (auto & cycle).
GEICO's online service center helps policyholders take care of policy sales, policy changes, claims reporting and to print insurance ID cards.
GEICO also provides insurance quotes on motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), travel trailers and motorhomes (RVs). Coverage for boats, life, homes and apartments is written by non-affiliated insurance companies and is secured through the GEICO Insurance Agency, Commercial auto insurance and personal umbrella protection are also available.
For more information, go to www.geico.com.
