Sergio Tacchini has announced a far-ranging, multi-year global partnership with IMG Worldwide, the international sports, fashion and media company. Under the terms of the agreement, IMG will serve as the licensing agent for the Italian brand of tennis and sportswear clothing, working to re-launch it in major markets through licensing and distribution partnerships.
Through IMG, Tacchini, which is traditionally strong in the Mediterranean region of Europe, expects to extend its international presence to overseas markets, focusing especially on Asia and the Americas. It also aims at covering the other areas of Europe where it currently does not have any licensees.
IMG will also cooperate with Tacchini's management on sponsorships, strategy, endorsements, e-commerce and other brand activation activities. IMG operates in 30 countries around the globe, with nearly 3,000 employees.
The management of Tacchini is currently shared by three executives following the departure of its former chief executive, Jean-Luc Battaglia. He had been appointed in 2008 after a company formed by its Chinese supplier, Hembly, took the company out of a receivership in cooperation with an investment fund.
Founded in 1966 by the Italian tennis player Sergio Tacchini, the eponymous brand has been a pioneer in what is now called the sports fashion segment. The brand gained international recognition through celebrity endorsements by some of the greatest tennis champion of all times including John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Pete Sampras, Mats Wilander, Martina Hingis, Novak Djokovic and others, who combined 37 Grand Slam tournaments wearing the brand's sportswear. Thanks to its sponsorship of American tennis legends such as McEnroe, Connors and Sampras, the brand continues to be very well-recognized in the U.S.
Last May, world's no.1 Novak Djokovic left Sergio Tacchini on friendly terms, after only two years, in contrast with the original 10-year deal, having by then “outgrown,” in the words of a company spokesman, the Italian brand. The Serbian champion signed a new five-year contract with Japanese brand Uniqlo, heading into the French Open at the Roland Garros shortly afterwards. While switching apparel brands, Djokovic has continued his partnership with Adidas for footwear.
Tacchini has not yet replaced Djokovic with any other player in the world's top ten, but it continues to be the official technical sponsor of the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters and Internazionali BNL d'Italia tennis tournaments.
