The tennis star from Castellón will wear the club’s badge in every tournament
Villarreal CF has taken a step forward with its links with tennis player Roberto Bautista, who will continue to be one of the great flag bearers of the Endavant Esports project. During the upcoming two-and-a-half seasons, the sportsman will wear the Villarreal CF badge on his playing kit – more precisely, on his sleeve – in every tournament he takes part in on an individual level, within the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and the International Tennis Federation (ITF), as well as in the four Grand Slams, and representing his country too.
This is an innovative initiative, as he will be the first elite tennis player who will wear the badge of a football club on his kit. Bautista will also represent Villarreal CF in public event, and will continue to use, as he has been until this moment, the facilities and medical services of the club.
The collaboration agreement with Bautista took place with the presence of Villarreal CF president Fernando Roig, who handed the tennis player from Castellón a personalised Villarreal shirt.
A former academy player in the elite of world tennis
Roberto Bautista (Benlloch, 14th April 1988) is one of the best tennis players in the world and is an exceptional ambassador for sport in the province of Castellón. In 2019, he reached the ranking of ninth on the ATP tour, the best ranking of his career. That same year, he reached the Wimbledon semi-finals and won the Davis Cup with Spain.
The relationship between the Yellow Submarine and the tennis star goes back to Bautista’s childhood, as he spent time in the Yellows Academy as a youth player.
Once he decided to stick to professional tennis, Bautista has grown in success, and due to his recent achievements, Villarreal paid tribute to him in the last Endavant Esports Gala. In December 2019, after his triumph as part of the Spanish David Cup team, the club gave him a golden badge and the Endavant Award for Sporting Merit 2019. Furthermore, he took an ‘honorary kick-off’ that same week ahead of the game against Atlético Madrid.