Gastão Elias has signed a five-year endorsement contract with Dunlop Slazenger and is already playing with the Dunlop Aerogel 200. Portugal's top young prospect joins James Blake, Tommy Haas, Tomas Berdych, Thomas Johansson and John McEnroe in the Dunlop Slazenger portfolio of players.
"I am very excited to have joined Dunlop, a company with such a long history and excellent reputation in international tennis," Elias said in a statement. "The Aerogel 200 suits my game very well. I have already had some good results with it and hope that it serves me well in Estoril in April in front of my home crowd. I am grateful for the support that the Dunlop family is showing me."
Elias, 17, is currently ranked No. 603 on the ATP Tour and has already claimed a Men’s Futures title in 2008, his second of his career. As a junior he was ranked as high as number six in the world in singles and won the 2007 Eddie Herr International. He makes his training base in Bradenton, Florida at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy at IMG Academies and is currently being coached by former professional player, Ricardo Icaza of Ecuador. Off the court, Elias was the recipient of the inaugural Gillette Future Champion Award, honoring the best young male athletes in Portugal. He is managed by IMG.
"Having been one of only four 16-year-olds to have won a ATP Futures event last year, and with an outstanding junior career behind him, Gastao has all the potential to be one of the stars of the future and Dunlop is absolutely delighted to be working with him to ensure that he has the best possible equipment at his disposal," Jeremy Dier, representative of Dunlop in Portugal, said. "Tennis is a thriving and growing sport in Portugal and it is fantastic that Gastao will be inspiring children in Portugal to take up and pursue the game. In addition to signing Gastao Dunlop is actively looking to sign promising young Portuguese players under the DSquad program and has actively been recruiting leading coaches around the country."
"I am very excited to have joined Dunlop, a company with such a long history and excellent reputation in international tennis," Elias said in a statement. "The Aerogel 200 suits my game very well. I have already had some good results with it and hope that it serves me well in Estoril in April in front of my home crowd. I am grateful for the support that the Dunlop family is showing me."
Elias, 17, is currently ranked No. 603 on the ATP Tour and has already claimed a Men’s Futures title in 2008, his second of his career. As a junior he was ranked as high as number six in the world in singles and won the 2007 Eddie Herr International. He makes his training base in Bradenton, Florida at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy at IMG Academies and is currently being coached by former professional player, Ricardo Icaza of Ecuador. Off the court, Elias was the recipient of the inaugural Gillette Future Champion Award, honoring the best young male athletes in Portugal. He is managed by IMG.
"Having been one of only four 16-year-olds to have won a ATP Futures event last year, and with an outstanding junior career behind him, Gastao has all the potential to be one of the stars of the future and Dunlop is absolutely delighted to be working with him to ensure that he has the best possible equipment at his disposal," Jeremy Dier, representative of Dunlop in Portugal, said. "Tennis is a thriving and growing sport in Portugal and it is fantastic that Gastao will be inspiring children in Portugal to take up and pursue the game. In addition to signing Gastao Dunlop is actively looking to sign promising young Portuguese players under the DSquad program and has actively been recruiting leading coaches around the country."
este gastão se quiser vai longe!
ResponderEliminarja joga com dunlop a muito tempo
ResponderEliminardiz-se: há muito tempo...
ResponderEliminarA diferença é que agora, vão pagar-lhe por utilizar a marca... e deve ser uma grande diferença.
ResponderEliminarDa dunlop nao sei, mas da adidas nao lhe pagam para utilizar!
ResponderEliminarbarata, acho que devia fazer uma votaçao para eleger o jogador e jogadora preferidos dos leitores do seu blog!É uma sugestão...
ResponderEliminarAnonimo das 17.05, garantole que o gastao recebe e muito da adidas para jogar, e tenho 100€ de certeza do que estou a dizer... obviamente que não vou dizer o meu nome mas garanto-lhe que pagam e MUITO mesmo
ResponderEliminaranonimo que me antecede, nao fale do que nao sabe...
ResponderEliminarE contudo o amigo Gastão parece que anda a treinar com a Sharapova na Academia.
ResponderEliminarNisto é que é de ter ciúmes do Gastão.
Força Gastão!
anonimo das 19.02 eu sou amigo dos gastao falo muito com ele e sei que ele é pago
ResponderEliminarhehe que patrao, pagarem-lhe para usar Adidas e jogar com Dunlop.... nao é a qualquer um de 17 anos (apesar de o gastao nao ser "qualquer um", mas mesmo assim...) muito bem gastao ;)
ResponderEliminarpobres e mal agradecidos
ResponderEliminardeixem se de baixezas tomara vós.
parabens gastão!
A Dunlop é fraquinha, é um facto.
ResponderEliminarmais vale ter continuado com wilson e nao ser pago!
ResponderEliminara raquete que o gastao esta a usar foi feita para ele e tem caracteristicas da wilson
ResponderEliminarSempre preocupado com patrocicinos o povo portugues... Deixem o rapaz evoluir e jogar o seu tenis, pois isso sim é fundamental.
ResponderEliminarpreocupados com patrocinios? entao o anonimo das 22:01 nao reparou que este post fala precisamente de um patrocinio? a nossa preocupaçao nao é mais que derivada do que lemos...
ResponderEliminare tambem penso que a raquete do gastao foi feita a partir de uma wilson que ele usava... já lhe fizeram isso quando ele "passou" das N-Code para as K-Factor: mesma raquete, pintura diferente.