With a solid, long-lasting partnership of 17 years, Itaú Unibanco has renewed its sponsorship contract for the Miami Open that will last until 2028.
This tournament is part of the ATP 1000 category, a series of tennis tournaments on the Professional Tennis Players Association circuit.
Itaú Unibanco and Miami Open tennis
The bank remains the presenting sponsor of the next five editions, maintaining the “presented by Itaú” category.
Moreover, a new tradition will be introduced in the tournament this year: the First Serve, that is, the first inaugural serve in the history of tennis to be struck by athlete Rafael Padilha, from the Rede Tênis Brasil (Tennis Brazil Network) project, supported by Itaú Unibanco.
The initiative, orchestrated by the GALERIA.ag agency, will take place March 20 at 11:35 am ET, just after the qualifying stage, which marks the beginning of the tournament.
Born in the city of Porto Alegre, Padilha took up tennis at just nine years of age and had his first contact with the sport through this initiative.
The eldest of seven siblings, Padilha was the top player in the state ranking for two successive years in the under 12, 14, 16 and 18 categories, playing in Brazilian and ITF Juniors tournaments, such as the Banana Bowl and the Brazil Juniors Cup.
Still through the project, in 2023 he went into the backstage of the Miami Open tournament, practiced on its courts, and met some of his main idols – among them, Carlos Alcaraz, currently the world’s number 2, and Brazilians Bia Haddad and Thiago Monteiro.
“We believe that sport has the power to change people’s lives”, said Eduardo Tracanella, Itaú Unibanco’s Chief Marketing Officer.
“That’s why it’s such a strong pillar of activity at Itaú. Our support ranges from projects that use sport as a means to develop Brazilian children and youngsters to those focused on high performance, such as the Miami Open.
“We support social actions such as Rede Tenis Brasil, Bola Dentro (Ball In), Instituto Guga Kuerten and Tenis para Todos Paraisópolis (Tennis for all Paraisópolis).
We are also proud to support the talented Brazilian tennis player Bia Haddad since 2023, showcasing our commitment to helping the sport grow in Brazil and promoting the development of young athletes”.
Josh Ripple, Senior Vice President, Tennis Events, IMG, said: “Itaú has been an exceptional partner for the Miami Open over the past 15 years including as a presenting sponsor since 2015, and it has been a critical part in the evolution of the tournament.
“We’re thrilled to continue our relationship with them for an additional four years, and we look forward to working together to foster further growth and innovation for this milestone event,” .
Itaú Unibanco’s relationship with tennis dates back to the 1970s, with Itaú Tennis Cup, and aims to operate in all areas of the sport: educational, youth development and high performance.