In both countries, talented young tennis players face the dual challenge of accessing and paying for training that will take them to the sport’s highest level, a cost that runs to tens of thousands of dollars. BNP Paribas underscores its commitment to helping develop the tennis of tomorrow by joining forces with a number of players involved in training future champions.
Tsonga and Roland-Garros 2018, involved from the start
In 2018, BNP Paribas began helping develop the next generation of top-level tennis players to turn today’s promising youngsters into the champions of tomorrow.
In May 2018, the Group launched the BNP Paribas Young Talent Team, mentored by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and in partnership with the French Tennis Federation (FFT), to give talented young French players more opportunities to reach the highest level of the sport. A further 10 young players will join the programme in September 2019.
Stronger commitment through the McEnroe brothers and Yannick Noah
The BNP Paribas Mac 1 Team: a team of young American players nurtured by the McEnroe brothers
10 young players, aged between 11 and 14, from the John McEnroe Tennis Academy in New York will be selected for the team in 2019. Like the Young Talent Team in France, the players will receive two types of support: one related to sport and the other a more personal assistance, in order to give them the best chance of reaching the highest level of the sport. “The goal of BNP Paribas Mac 1 is to support training for young tennis players who lack the financial or human resources to reach the highest level of competition,” says John McEnroe, founder of the John McEnroe Tennis Academy. “The programme aims to address the enormous hurdle of the cost of tennis training in the United States, especially in the New York area.”
The goal of BNP Paribas Mac 1 is to support training for young tennis players who lack the financial or human resources to reach the highest level of competition
The Fête le Mur Kids Team: a tour of France to train a competitive team from Yannick Noah’s non-profit association.
A partner of Fête le Mur since 2001, BNP Paribas has teamed up with Yannick Noah to launch a tour of France to train the “Fête le Mur Kids Team”. The team comprises 20 young players aged between 5 and 9 selected from local branches of the Fête le Mur association. The Group will support team members in their personal development by introducing them to competition and other activities such as piano or drama.
“The Fête le Mur Kids Team will have a major impact on tennis played around the country,” says Yannick Noah. “We'll meet talented youngsters from the most disadvantaged areas of French cities and introduce them to competition as an additional building block for their future.”
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