Extended Sponsorship for Wheelchair Tennis Doubles Masters

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) announced today that Invacare will continue its sponsorship of Wheelchair Tennis for a 17th successive year by becoming title sponsor of the ITF’s year-end Doubles Masters event in a two-year deal. The 2011 Invacare Doubles Masters will be held in Amsterdam from 2-6 November.

The Invacare Doubles Masters is the ITF’s flagship Wheelchair Tennis doubles event. First staged in 2000, the season-ending event currently features the world’s top eight men’s doubles pairs, and the top four women and quad doubles pairs. Women’s world No. 1 Esther Vergeer has been the most successful competitor, sharing the women’s title on eight occasions.

Invacare Corporation was previously title sponsor of the World Team Cup between 1996 and 2010. The European team of Invacare Corporation has overseen its Wheelchair Tennis sponsorship since 2008.

During the 2011 Invacare Doubles Masters, the European team of Invacare Corporation will continue to host the successful international Wheelchair Tennis symposium that has been held during the World Team Cup for the past three years. The symposium is a public seminar that features a variety of guest speakers from wheelchair sport and various medical experts.

ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti said: “We are delighted that Invacare is continuing its sponsorship of Wheelchair Tennis. The company’s longstanding support of the World Team Cup helped it become the most prestigious event on the ITF’s Wheelchair Tennis calendar, and I am confident that its commitment and enthusiasm will have a similar effect on this important year-end event.”

Hans Lautenschlager, Invacare Vice President / General Manager of Commercial Operations EMEA, said: “After 16 years of World Team Cup support, Invacare has been seeking new challenges within international tennis. The Doubles Masters will give Invacare a great opportunity to continue developing ‘best-in-class’ tennis events with the ITF. Our aim is to make the Doubles Masters a long-awaited and popular date in the tennis calendar as the World Team Cup is today.”