LONDON, June 18, 2015 – New Balance and Canadian tennis star Milos Raonic today announced the signing of an exclusive sponsorship deal that will extend and strengthen Raonic’s relationship with the New Balance brand for the length of his professional playing career and beyond. Raonic, who has a career high ranking of number four in the ATP, is the highest-ranked Canadian tennis player in history.
“Milos is an extraordinary young man and athlete, and we are thrilled that he will remain one of the vital members of Team New Balance for years to come,” said Jim Davis, Chairman of New Balance. “His strength of character off the court as well as his unwavering dedication to constant improvement on the court make him an excellent ambassador for our brand, and we know he will continue to exceed our expectations as he advances in his career.”
Since first signing Raonic in 2013, New Balance has strengthened its commitment to the sport of tennis through its signing of elite athletes and grown its presence through introducing new performance product innovations to the tennis world; over the course of the same period, Raonic has continued to improve in all aspects of his game and has climbed in the ATP rankings. This new agreement embodies the collaborative relationship that has grown between New Balance and Raonic over the past years and reflects the opportunities that each side sees for the future of the relationship.
“I have been very fortunate to work alongside the great team at New Balance for the past two plus years. Their openness to new ideas and development of their tennis product has been something I’ve been very honored to be a part of and help develop,” said Raonic. “This new chapter in our relationship is something very uncommon in tennis and I am looking forward to seeing what new and creative ideas will arise as I continue to grow in this sport.”
As a global ambassador and the original tennis athlete for New Balance, Raonic will continue to be a lead athlete in New Balance’s marketing and communications campaigns including print, online and in-store advertisements. Raonic will continue to serve as a valuable contributor to the New Balance design and development teams on performance-driven, fashion-forward footwear and apparel that serve the needs of elite athletes and speak to the brand’s rich history in tennis and athletics. In addition, Raonic will collaborate with New Balance’s digital teams on providing unique content for athletes around tennis, training, and player improvement.
New Balance shares Raonic’s desire to give back to the community and New Balance will continue to support The Milos Raonic Foundation, a charitable organization launched by Raonic in 2012 to benefit disadvantaged children through sport.
Since turning pro in 2008, Milos Raonic has been on a steady rise to the top of the tennis world. After breaking through at the Australian Open in 2011, he jumped from no. 156 to no. 31 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, earning him the title of Newcomer of the Year in the ATP World Tour Awards. As the first person born in the 1990’s to enter the ATP World Tour’s top 10, Raonic is widely considered a leader of the next generation of men’s tennis. In 2014, Raonic became the first Canadian man to reach the semifinals at Wimbledon, and was also the first player from Canada to end a season in the top 10 after winning a personal-best 49 matches and capturing a 6th career title at the Citi Open. That same year, Raonic was also one of just three players to reach the quarterfinals or better at 7 ATP Masters 1000 events during a season. He is the highest ranked Canadian tennis player ever with a career high ranking of number four in the world.
Raonic is represented by CAA Sports, a division of leading entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA), which represents more than 1,000 of the world's best athletes in such sports as baseball, football, hockey, basketball, soccer, golf, and tennis, in addition to coaches, on-air broadcasters, and sports personalities.
About New Balance:
New Balance, headquartered in Boston, MA has the following mission: Demonstrating responsible leadership, we build global brands that athletes are proud to wear, associates are proud to create and communities are proud to host. New Balance is the only major company to make or assemble more than 4 million pairs of athletic footwear per year in the USA, which represents a limited portion of our US sales. Where the domestic value is at least 70%, we label our shoes Made in the USA. New Balance owns five factories in New England and one in Flimby, U.K. New Balance employs more than 4,000 associates around the globe, and in 2013 reported worldwide sales of $2.73 billion. To learn more about New Balance, please visit www.newbalance.com.