AEGON today gave tennis in Britain a further boost by becoming the title sponsor of the hugely popular Masters Tennis at the Royal Albert Hall in London until at least 2013.

The event, which has featured an array of Wimbledon champions including Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe and Pete Sampras every December since 1997, will now be known as the AEGON Masters Tennis, further extending the life assurance and pensions company's involvement in the sport. Having already become the Lead Partner of British Tennis in January 2009, the title sponsorship of the AEGON Masters Tennis ensures that AEGON is involved in tennis at every level - from grass roots development to international professional tournaments, and now to the sport's most celebrated champions.

"We are delighted to welcome AEGON as our new title sponsor," said Peter Worth, Senior Vice President, IMG. "For the past 12 years, the Masters Tennis at the Royal Albert Hall has been a celebration of the sport - much-loved champions coming together to compete and entertain fans in probably the most unique and iconic tennis arena in the world. In AEGON, we have a title sponsor with a passion for, and commitment to tennis at all levels. With AEGON on board we will continue to drive the event from strength to strength as part of a very exciting end-of-year tennis season.”

AEGON UK Director of Marketing Steve Clode, said:

“AEGON’s partnership with British Tennis supports the sport at all levels, from grassroots development to major tournaments like the AEGON Championships at The Queen’s Club. The Masters celebrates the greatest champions of the sport and is a natural next step for us. Already this year our tennis activity has reinforced our brand credentials, and the AEGON Masters Tennis will enable us to continue this success.”

The AEGON Masters Tennis takes place between Tuesday 1st December and Sunday 6th December, 2009. Wimbledon champions Goran Ivanisevic and Stefan Edberg, and for the first time, two-time Wimbledon finalist Patrick Rafter, have already signed up to compete. They will form part of an eight-man singles field that competes alongside a highly entertaining and all-star doubles field. Rafter's arrival means that there could be a repeat of the 2001 Wimbledon final that saw the Australian narrowly losing out to Ivanisevic in one of the most memorable finals of all-time.

The AEGON Masters Tennis uses a round-robin format, with all players playing at least three matches each. Each day of the tournament, except the final Sunday, features two sessions - an afternoon session starting at 1pm and an evening session starting at 7pm. All sessions will feature a combination of singles and doubles matches. The event is the final tournament on the ATP Champions Tour - a circuit of former World Number One tennis players, Grand Slam singles finalists and Davis Cup winners.

Tickets for the AEGON Masters Tennis can now be purchased by calling the box office:
+44 (0) 208 233 5882, or by visiting the tournament's official website: www.aegonmasterstennis.com

For more information please contact:

David Law, AEGON Masters Tennis Media Director
Tel: +44 (0) 7764 1876090; E-mail: david@lawsports.net

Katie Leach, IMG Marketing Manager
Tel: +44 (0) 7970 904095; E-mail: katie.leach@imgworld.com

Lesley McPherson, AEGON UK Head of Media
Tel: +44 (0) 7740 897541; E-mail: lesley.mcpherson@aegon.co.uk

Notes to Editors

• The AEGON Masters Tennis first took place in 1997. It was headlined by John McEnroe's first meeting with Bjorn Borg in London since their 1981 Wimbledon final. McEnroe won the match, and also the first three editions of the tournament between '97 and 1999. He also won the tournament in 2003.
• In 2008, seven-time Wimbledon champion Pete Sampras made his first appearance at the event, and his first visit to London since Wimbledon in 2002. At the Royal Albert Hall, he lost to the eventual champion Cedric Pioline in the semifinals. Pioline went on to beat Greg Rusedski in a thrilling final.
• AEGON became the Lead Partner of British Tennis in January 2009 in a five-year partnership covering all aspects of tennis, from grass roots development to title sponsorship of international events such as the AEGON Championships at The Queen's Club in London.
• AEGON is one of the world’s leading insurance groups. In the UK, AEGON offer pensions, life insurance, asset management and financial advice to corporate and individual customers.
• Attached is a low resolution picture of the Royal Albert Hall during the event last year. For a high resolution version of the picture, please e-mail David Law: david@lawsports.net