• Global Player: Mercedes-Benz and ATP confirm time-tried partnership until 2008
• Steep rise in global spectators, viewing and internet figures

Millions of viewers and spectators keep their eyes on it just like the world's best tennis players – whether it is Roger Federer, Andy Roddick, Rafael Nadal or old master Andre Agassi: After over ten years, the "Star in the Net" is still the most eye-catching and expressive symbol of Mercedes-Benz activities in international men's tennis. Since 1996, the close partner-ship between the Stuttgart automobile manufacturer and the ATP (Associa-tion of Tennis Professionals) has set impressive standards in global sports sponsoring. At the end of last year, the two parties decided to prolong their alliance for the time being until the end of the 2008 season. This is the third time the contract has been prolonged following 1999 and 2002. "The part-nership between Mercedes-Benz and the ATP is already of many years' standing and we are very pleased that it has proved to be so successful. With each new year, we manage to reach more and more people," said Dr. Klaus Maier, Executive Vice President Mercedes Car Group, responsible for Sales and Marketing.

Mercedes-Benz has been able to profit from the significant upwards trend in the branch especially recently against the backdrop of the dynamic changeover of generations on the tour circuit. In 2005, the number of spec-tators at each of the 43 ATP tournaments sponsored by Mercedes-Benz rose to over 75.000. The number of broadcasting hours on television are also proof of the consistent use made of marketing opportunities and the rapidly increasing popularity of tennis, especially in growing markets such as Asia, Oceania and Latin America. Even if only Mercedes-Benz tourna-ments round the world are taken into consideration, the value has increased five-fold. Whereas in 1996 TV stations across all continents only broadcast 3.312 hours from these tournaments, in 2005 they transmitted almost 18.000 hours.

"There are players from every part of the world for people to identify with – that is what gives tennis such a distinctive fascination," said Burghard Graf Vitzthum, Head of Alternative Communications at DaimlerChrysler and responsible for the sports sponsoring activities of the brand Mercedes-Benz. Even the booming internet world is not left untouched as the Mercedes-Benz tennis sites are attracting a rapidly growing number of mainly younger tennis fans. Both registrations and access rates for the Mercedes-Benz presentation on the ATP home page – and here among others for the Mer-cedes-Benz "Play of the week" – shot rapidly upwards during the last season with almost three million visitors to the site. "Tennis is a sport for a lifetime which attracts people of all age groups in countries all over the world," says Claudia Merzbach, Head of Sports Communications at Daim-lerChrysler. "This means that the ATP provides us with a strong platform to use this popularity and to make new contacts and strengthen our contacts to existing and potential customers."

Mercedes-Benz is not only expressing continuity in its optical presence and through its events for current and potential customers at the ATP tour-naments, but also by providing a fleet of vehicles for the shuttle transport for players, sponsors and officials. Each year about 900 vehicles with the star are used as “Official Car of the ATP”. At the same time, products are pro-moted with classical PR methods – during every season more than three million spectators are provided with information about the latest models and trends at the Mercedes-Benz stands at the tournaments. In 2005, the com-pany's branches worldwide exhibited about 200 vehicles at the tournament venues.