Justine Henin and BNP Paribas Fortis give young tennis talent a helping hand

For almost 50 years, BNP Paribas has been a loyal partner of tennis, a sport in which values such as commitment, ambition and fair play are paramount. At BNP Paribas Fortis, we also have a strong passion for tennis. Under the slogan "We Are Tennis", we commit ourselves to all levels and all aspects of the Belgian tennis world. We want to give young talent every opportunity to realise their potential. We have therefore decided to be part of the BNP Paribas Young Talent Team story.

150 young talents already supported

BNP Paribas launched the initiative in 2018 in partnership with the French tennis federation FFT. The goal: help promising young tennis talents advance to a top level through a mentoring and sponsoring programme. For example, the Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the American John McEnroe and the Italian Tathiana Garbin have together taken over 150 youngsters under their wing. "It’s important to have an established tennis partner like BNP Paribas that makes such programmes possible. Together we can make tennis more accessible," John McEnroe says. “I dream of helping a New York-based child to win Wimbledon, the US Open or even Roland-Garros."

Justine Henin, godmother to team Belgium

Today, two more big names are joining the ranks: Justine Henin for Belgium and Mariusz Fyrstenberg for Poland. “I would like to thank the bank for its trust," says our Belgian compatriot, who has seven Grand Slam titles to her name. "My team and I are very pleased that Belgium is participating in this programme – it’s an exceptional opportunity to better support young local talent. We will do everything we can to ensure that this trust is fully met."

Scoring for a good cause

At the bank, we also attach great importance to an inclusive society. This is why BNP Paribas has recently joined the BNP Paribas Young Talents Team programme to set a solidarity goal. For every point a team member scores on the professional tennis circuit, the bank will donate 1 euro to help disadvantaged children go on holiday. And this with all the trimmings: from tennis lessons to other sports and cultural activities, such as basketball or going to the cinema.

Making sport and culture more accessible for everyone and helping promising young talents on their way to the top: that's also Positive Banking.