Kudla takes ‘Young Guns Contest’
November 20, 2015
On the 20th of May this year, Tecnifibre launched the first Young Guns Contest. Judged on their performance on court and their social network performances (their ability to talk about the contest and to engage their community), 4 young players competed to win a bursary of $50,000. A real stepping stone to help them reach their goals: to reach the Top 100!
The American Denis Kudla competed against Frenchman Jules Marie (23 years old), Canadian Filip Peliwo, (21 years old) and Japanese Hiroki Moriya (24 years old). Denis performed extremely well on and off court. On court, he had an extremely good season and reached his best ranking : 65th in the Emirates ATP rankings in October. On the social media, Denis was active and received many comments and interactions from his fans. Previously with little presence on the social networks, he quickly grew his fan base by 3 times over the duration of the contest. He currently has more than 10,000 fans on Twitter.
$50,000: a real stepping stone
The definitive winner of the “Young Guns Contest”, Denis Kudla will receive a cheque for $ 50,000 from Thierry Maissant, CEO of Tecnifibre and Chris Kermode, President of the ATP, in London at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.
For Denis Kudla, the contest is a real stepping stone for his career. “I am extremely proud to have won the Young Guns contest. The support of my fans at the tournaments and on the social media allowed me to obtain the results I have achieved. Thank you to my fans and particularly to Tecnifibre for the incredible opportunity. 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.”
“The first season of the Young Guns Contest was a success” explains Geoffroy Bourbon, Vice President, Sales & Sponsorships at the ATP. “The 4 participants were extremely active in playing the game. Denis had an excellent season and reached the 4th round at Wimbledon and semi-finals at Atlanta. He showed the world the daily life on tour and shared his good results with his community.”
Denis Kudla and Tecnifibre
Denis was approached by Tecnifibre when he was 16 years old in 2008. He was already Top 100 in the world in the junior rankings. He immediately took to heart the project which was suggested by Tecnifibre and also the TFIGHT 305 racket he played with. The young player reached the finals of the US Open juniors and reached the Top 5 in the junior world rankings. Since then his triumphs at the futures and challengers level have permitted him to reach the top 100 on the ATP World Tour.
Guillaume Ducruet, Sports Marketing Manager at Tecnifibre, fell in love with his “fighting spirit”: “He has strong self believe yet has a very open personality. Denis has proven that with willpower, confidence and hard work, you can reach your goals and dreams …”