The ATP and leading global snack bar brand Nature Valley have today announced a new partnership with the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, which will take place at The O2 in London from 13-20 November 2016.

Nature Valley, which produces a wide range of ‘better for you’ cereal bar snacks made with great tasting ingredients, will become a Gold Partner at the elite global season-ending event which will see the best eight qualified singles players and doubles teams in the world battle it out on court. The partnership will provide on-court brand visibility with both a sport and leisure-focused UK audience and wider worldwide viewers.

In addition, Nature Valley ambassadors will be sampling over 100,000 full bars of the new gluten-free Protein range at the Official Fan Zone on-site giving spectators a full brand-to-hand experience to keep them fueled with a delicious tasting snack ‘for when hunger strikes’ during the course of the event.

Arjoon Bose, Marketing Lead for Snacking at General Mills which owns the Nature Valley brand, commented: “Following the successful debut of our British Tennis partnership this year during the summer grass court season, we are excited to build upon this sporting collaboration to now become the Official Snack Bar of the ATP World Tour season finale in London. Not only does this partnership enable us to now reach a wider audience and hopefully inspire new consumers and tennis fans to discover our products, it also marks our continued commitment to a sport that shares our passion for inspiring a healthy active lifestyle. With Nature Valley Protein, we see this association becoming even stronger.’’

Chris Kermode, ATP Executive Chairman and President, said: “We welcome Nature Valley, a leading global snack bar brand, on board as a Gold Partner of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. With more than 100 million global television viewers, and a footfall of approximately 400,000 people passing through The O2 across the eight days of the tournament, the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals offers a truly global platform and a wealth of marketing opportunities for our partners. We look forward to a successful partnership with Nature Valley.”

The Barclays ATP World Tour Finals has attracted more than 1.8 million fans to The O2 arena since the tournament moved to London in 2009. The tournament features the world’s best eight qualified singles players and doubles teams battling to win the biggest indoor tennis tournament in the world. The ATP announced last year that the event would remain at The O2 through to 2018. Tickets can be purchased at: www.BarclaysATPWorldTourFinals.com.

Sadio Doumbia hasn’t taken a traditional path to being a professional tennis player, but has quickly been making up for his late start to the ATP Challenger Tour.

The 26-year-old from France won his first ATP Challenger Tour title this past Sunday at the $50,000 event in Pune, India. Ranked No. 359 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, he rallied from a set down to defeat eighth seed and local favourite Prajnesh Gunneswaran in the final. In addition to coming back from a set down in four of his five matches, Doumbia also captured his first victory over a Top 200 player in the Emirates ATP Rankings by defeating top seed Evgeny Donskoy of Russia in the quarter-finals.

“It’s my first Challenger title, so it’s an amazing feeling,” said Doumbia. “I could fortunately play good tennis for the whole week, so I’m super excited and super happy.”

Doumbia only began competing in pro tournaments on a full-time basis at age 24. He initially played college tennis at Auburn University Montgomery before transferring to the University of Georgia. After completing his senior season in 2012, he enrolled in a study abroad program at Oxford University before graduating in 2013 with two business administration degrees, one in risk management and another in insurance and finance.

The Frenchman has primarily played in ITF Futures events since turning pro, but his victory in Pune means he will now be a staple in Challengers.

“I think Challenger players are more physically fit,” said Doumbia. “They’re more structured mentally and take better preparation so they’re ready for matches.”

Doumbi’s victory saw him jump more than 100 spots in the Emirates ATP Rankings to his current career-high standing of No. 253. had no time to celebrate his victory in Pune because he had to catch a flight back home to France, but is hopeful he can lift up more trophies in India in the future.

“This was a very good tournament. It was my first time in India and I love this country,” said Doumbia. “I really felt welcomed by the Indian people.”