The ATP Tour has added a new sponsoring partner for the 2025 season in the form of European crypto company Bitpanda.
Bitpanda will become an official partner of the ATP Tour, as well as for its ATP 500 and ATP 250 tournaments held in relevant countries. The partnership will begin on 15 April for the BMW Open in Munich.
The crypto company has already worked with several ATP Tour member tennis players in the past, inking partnership deals with world number three Alexander Zverev, along with Dominic Thiem and three-time Grand Slam winner Stanislas Wawrinka.
Daniele Sanó, ATP Chief Business Officer, commented: “We’re thrilled to team up with Bitpanda. The digital asset space is becoming more and more relevant, and it’s an area we’ve been actively exploring.
“This partnership builds on Bitpanda’s strong support for tennis – across both players and events – and brings fresh energy and ideas for how we engage with fans.”
As Sanó mentioned, cryptocurrency sponsorship within sports has rapidly grown over recent years. Despite this, the crypto market crash of 2022, leading into 2023, led to many crypto and digital asset sponsorship deals falling through or were cancelled entirely.
But once the market rebounded, so too did the sponsorship deals. One of the most high-profile deals came when Crypto.com became an official partner of the UEFA Champions League. Bitpanda have also acted upon the revived interest from sporting organisations in crypto.
Since last year, Bitpanda has partnered with three of Europe’s largest football clubs, FC Bayern Munich, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain. The company has credited its commitment to regulatory compliance as a key driver of trust between Bitpanda and its sports partners.
Now entering tennis, Bitpanda is seeking to promote its crypto services to new audiences and educate potential new investors to the space.
Eric Demuth, CEO and Co-Founder of Bitpanda, added: “Working together with the ATP to leverage tennis’s global popularity as one of the world’s most widely-followed and respected sports organisations is the next step for Bitpanda. The ATP Tour audience aligns perfectly with our target group, making this partnership a natural fit.
“Even if that doesn’t play a role in deals like this, of course: I’ve been playing tennis since I was seven. Teenage Eric Demuth would probably think what we’re doing here is pretty cool. That’s definitely not a benchmark that matters – but I still find it kind of nice.
“Tennis has a worldwide appeal, attracting millions of fans across the globe. With its broad reach and strong viewership, the ATP Tour offers Bitpanda a unique opportunity to increase brand visibility among an audience that closely aligns with its target group.”
