© 2012 Daily Tennis News Wire -
Following Rafael Nadal's win on Stadium One in Indian Wells, California Sunday, Tennis News honored BNP Paribas as the 2011 Persons of the Year.

Steve Bellamy, the inaugural Person of the Year in 2005, presented the award to Michele Sicard, Head of Corporate Communications at BNP Paribas Americas, and commented on the significant financial support BNP Paribas has given tennis over the last 40 years in such events as the French Open, ITF Davis Cup, ITF Fed Cup and even title sponsorship of the Indian Wells event. In addition, BNP Paribas Taste of Tennis, the recent BNP Paribas Showdown at Madison Square Garden in New York, the Fed Cup Heart Awards and Master U’ BNP Paribas are among other BNP Paribas contributions to the game.

"The strategy of sports sponsorship has done much to develop the Group’s reputation in France and abroad. The relationship between BNP Paribas and tennis is mutually beneficial, but it is above all a story of passion," says Antoine Sire, Director of Brand, Communication and Quality at BNP Paribas.