USTA Announces Oura as Official Partner and Wearable

Wearables became a somewhat controversial topic at the Australian Open this year when top players were ordered to remove their Whoop devices.

All that has changed over the past month as the French Open will allow them, and now the USTA signed a major partnership with Oura.

The five-year partnership is a landmark deal that names Oura as an official sponsor and wearable fitness device partner of the U.S. Open, USTA and USTA Coaching.

The partnership is a truly genius move on Oura’s part. As mentioned in our article about key takeaways from the World Congress of Sports, converting pro players to users and supporters of your product is the most effective way to reach a mass audience of potential customers. It’s a tried-and-true strategy where fans will want to be just like their favorite athletes and in this case maybe they can even compare data.

From the USTA side, this partnership hits hard on two objectives:

• Tennis has shifted to a very wellness and health focused message over recent years, beginning when the USTA launched the “world’s healthiest sport” campaign. The partnership with Oura reinforces this approach and brings tennis sponsorships into the wearable tech space. 
• The USTA continues to focus on bringing in more tennis fans and viewers to the sport, especially in regards to the U.S. Open. Oura’s current and target customer base is a younger female and health-driven consumer that aligns perfectly with one of the USTA’s main demographics for expansion opportunities.

This wide-ranging partnership includes:

• Oura Ring will be available to every Main Draw player competing in the US Open through its player gifting suite, with on-site fitting and recovery education in player areas.
• Beyond the US Open, Oura will integrate across a number of the USTA platforms, including USTA Coaching, USTA League National Championships and USTA members. Starting this year, Oura will sponsor the USTA League National Championships and offer benefits to both USTA members and USTA Coaching members.
• USTA Coaching and Oura will collaborate to develop health and wellness studies within the USTA Coaching Ecosystem, in addition to an Oura Recovery & Readiness module embedded in the USTA coaching certification pathway, exclusive annual offers for coaching subscribers, and complimentary devices at select coaching events.

"Oura and the USTA share a vision rooted in health and wellness, and this partnership will amplify that in so many ways," said Kirsten Corio, chief commercial officer, USTA. "Oura's presence at the US Open will have an immediate and long-lasting benefit for fans, players and coaches, and Oura's commitment to the grassroots -- leveraging their best-in-class recovery science and data to benefit players and coaches alike -- make this a partnership that can have a demonstrative impact on the growth and vitality of our game for generations to come."

Overall, it’s an exciting time in the wearable industry. Whoop originally stole headlines with its player partners at the Australian Open, but the space is heating up. Now, Oura won back the headlines with a partnership that will give them a major presence in tennis. This year, we’ll likely see more partnerships by these brands as they look to corner the tennis market.