French sports equipment manufacturing company Tecnifibre has announced that America’s Denis Kudla has won the first ever Young Guns Contest.
The initiative was launched in May by Tecnifibre with the aim of selecting a young player who has performed well on the court as well as their social media interaction with fans. Four players were shortlisted for this year’s award, which was Jules Marie (France), Hiroki Moriya (Japan), Filip Peliwo (Canada) and Kudla (USA).
Kudla was selected after enjoying a breakthrough season by climbing up the rankings to 65th in the world in October (currently he is ranked 70th). This year he has reached three Challenger finals, claiming a title in Likely, Great Britain. He also achieved the best Grand Slam performance in his career when he reached the fourth round at Wimbledon.
In terms of social media, Kudla has tripled his fan base within the past year to 10,600 Twitter followers and 3039 Facebook likes. Speaking about the significance of social media, ATP CEO Chris Kermode has explained that projects like the one by Tecnifibre are so important for the sport.
“We are in the sports entertainment business. It is no longer good enough to turn up and play tennis. It is about being a personality and engaging with people who are coming to see you”. Kermode said during a special award ceremony.
“It exposes our sport in the best way possible I think, it is a great thing that tecnifibre has done and I want to support them to do more of these initiatives in the future”.
The award for Kudla is a $50,000 cheque that he can use to invest on his development for next year. The reward is vital for upcoming players on the tour due to the high costs incurred. Kudla said that the award is a big deal for his dreams on the tour.
“Thank you to my fans and particular Tecnifibre for the incredible opportunity”. The 23-year-old said.
“This reward is a precious help for the continuation of my career. I will be able to stand on my own two feet and have a full time coach”.
Kudla currently has a win-loss this year of 31-24. He will finish the season ranked inside the top 100 for the first time in his career.
