Andy Murray, the world No17 and Britain’s No1 professional tennis player, has signed a major new sponsorship deal with Highland Spring, the UK’s leading bottled water producer. It is believed to be the biggest patch deal in tennis worldwide.
From January 1, he will start the new tennis season wearing Highland Spring’s logo on his shirt when he plays in the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha, before competing in the Australian Open in Melbourne on January 15.
The 19-year-old tennis star hails from Dunblane, only 10 miles from the Perthshire company’s bottling plant.
Andy will now feature as a sporting ambassador in Highland Spring’s PR and marketing campaign. As part of the multi-year deal, he will wear the brand logo on his left sleeve during all major tournaments and drink the water as part of his regular dietary regime.
Highland Spring is also the new official water sponsor to ‘Team Murray’ which includes Andy’s older brother Jamie, the UK’s leading doubles specialist ranked 77th in the world and mum Judy, Scotland’s former national tennis coach.
Good hydration
Highland Spring is the No1 kids’ water brand in the UK. The company is committed to forging the link between active sports and good hydration and for the last five years has championed healthier drinking among British schoolchildren.
Commenting on his new exclusive drinks sponsor, Andy Murray said: “I’m proud to wear the Highland Spring logo at tournaments around the world since I love the product and it’s a fantastic Scottish brand from my home in Perthshire.
“Proper hydration is now playing a bigger role in my fitness and training regime with my coach [Brad Gilbert] encouraging me to drink much more water than before to keep me at the top of my game. When I’m competing in a hot climate, I can drink up to four litres a day. I think more British kids should start drinking plain water from an early age and I’m looking forward to helping Highland Spring with their hydration campaign.”
Commenting on the new partnership, Sally Stanley, marketing director of Highland Spring, said: “We’re so enthusiastic about supporting Andy as his winning spirit is a breath of fresh air. He is a fantastic ambassador for British tennis and his natural talent and dedication to succeed is an inspiration to young people.
“Andy is a great role model for British schoolchildren and he shares our passion for
getting kids active and healthy while having some fun. We hope our association with Team Murray will encourage more children to take up new active sports like tennis and drink water instead of sugary soft drinks.
“As a world-class tennis player of his stature and appeal, this sponsorship provides us with another global platform to showcase the Highland Spring brand.”
Patricio Apey, Murray’s manager added: “Despite his hectic schedule, Andy spends a lot of his spare time helping to coach and encourage kids to get the most out of the sport he loves. He is a natural ambassador, not just for tennis, but sport in general. It is great to have Highland Spring as Andy’s new drinks sponsor. It’s a perfect brand fit and we are looking forward to a hugely successful partnership.”
Notes to Editors:
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Photography of Andy Murray is being sent to picture desks today from Alan Richardson.
2.
Andy Murray is one of only two players (alongside Rafael Nadal) to have beaten world No1 Roger Federer in 2006 at the Cincinnati Masters. He became the first Scottish winner of a junior Grand Slam Championship when he won the US Open Boys title in September 2004 aged 17. When he turned professional in 2005 he was the first British teenager (aged 19) to get a world top 100 ranking for 21 years.
3.
As an elite athlete Andy Murray requires to drink up to four litres of water a day when training or competing. The recommended daily intake of water for adults is two litres and varies from 0.9 litres for very small children to two litres for teenagers (Institute of Medicine of the National Academies).
4.
Highland Spring is the UK’s leading producer of bottled water with a 15.4 per cent share of UK bottled water production (Zenith 2006); the No1 kids’ bottled water with 31 per cent brand share of kids’ water sector and No1 sparkling water with 17% brand share of sparkling sector (AC Nielsen).
5.
Already a “major supporter” of Glasgow’s 2014 Commonwealth Games Bid, Highland Spring is a vigorous, long-term supporter of UK sport and international sporting events including rugby union, golf, mountain biking, athletics, running, windsurfing, snooker and bowls.
Interviews with Sally Stanley or Patricio Apey (Andy Murray’s agent) can be arranged by contacting:
Alison Downs/Eve Robertson
3x1 Public Relations
T: 0141 221 0707
Mobiles: 07879 621139 or 07974 193897
E: adowns@3x1.com/erobertson@3x1.com