World’s Leading Tennis eSports Tournament Announces Third Annual Competition

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The Roland-Garros eSeries by BNP Paribas: the world’s first tennis gaming tournament
teams up with eSports club Team Vitality for its third edition

With the support of Team Vitality’s champion gamers, the world’s leading eTennis
players are gearing up for the international grand final, to be held during the
French Open in June

PARIS, March 5, 2020 – Roland-Garros, BNP Paribas and NACON are delighted to
announce the third edition of the Roland-Garros eSeries by BNP Paribas, an eSports
tournament played on the Tennis World Tour game on PlayStation 4 and which crowns
the champion of international tennis gaming. On-board since the first edition in
2018, Norman “Genius” Chatrier, grandson of Philippe Chatrier and former esport
player, will again be the ambassador of the tournament this year.

Team Vitality gives its support to young gamers
The 2020 tournament is an important step in the strengthening of the ties between
sport and eSports, thanks to a ground-breaking partnership with Team Vitality,
France’s leading eSports club. For the first time at an international eTennis
competition, the qualifiers will be mentored by pro gamers, who will pass their
advice and expertise on to them.

“Following the two previous editions of the Roland-Garros eSeries by BNP Paribas, we
are looking to go even further in bringing sport and eSports together by calling on
prestigious high-profile partners such as Team Vitality,” said Stéphane Morel,
deputy CEO of the French Tennis Federation’s Marketing and Business Development
Department.

“We see this new approach as essential in reaching out to new generations of sports
and eSports enthusiasts together through the love they share for tennis.” Said
Bernard Giudicelli, president of the Fédération Française de Tennis.

Lending their support to amateur gamers for the duration of the competition will be
pro players Lyloun, Robi, Brawks and Airwaks, all supervised by Team Vitality
founder Neo. Click here for more information on these top gamers.

Check out the teaser for this year’s Roland-Garros eSeries by BNP Paribas

International qualification events at leading tennis tournaments
Running from March to May, the qualifiers will take place in the USA, Italy and
France, with events being held at the Masters 1000 Indian Wells, the Masters 1000
Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome and the Open Parc Auvergne Rhône-Alpes, where
amateur gamers will enjoy some unique settings as they battle it out. These
tournaments will decide the national champions who will go forward to the world
finals, to be held at the French Open. Pretenders to the crown can enter the
competition at the official website: RGeSeries.BNPParibas

For the third year running, the international grand final will be held on June 6 at
the French Open Grand Slam event, where the truly spectacular setting will immerse
participants in the kind of atmosphere that is unique to the biggest tournaments.
The winner will collect a trophy and tickets to the French Open men’s singles final.

BNP Paribas, the bank for “all branches of tennis”
This year will again see BNP Paribas underline its commitment to supporting “all
branches of tennis” by engaging in actions designed to promote innovation and new
practices connected to video gaming.

“This, the third edition of the Roland-Garros eSeries by BNP Paribas, organized in
collaboration with the French Tennis Federation, provides us with another
opportunity to restate our commitment to innovation in sport in all its forms,” said
Vincent-Baptiste Closon, Global Head of Sponsorship, BNP Paribas. “Thanks to Team
Vitality, we can offer exciting new experiences to tennis and gaming fans.”

Get all the latest news on the Roland-Garros eSeries by BNP Paribas on Facebook,
Twitter, YouTube and Instagram. For more information and to sign up for the
qualification events go to: RGeSeries.bnpparibas

About the Roland-Garros eSeries by BNP Paribas
The world’s first ever tennis gaming tournament, the Roland-Garros eSeries by BNP
Paribas returns for the third year running to the delight of eTennis fans. This
year’s tournament will break new ground, with pro gamers from the famous French club
Team Vitality joining forces with the French Tennis Federation. Gamers qualifying
from the three qualifying events in France, the USA and Italy will have a pro player
joining them in their team and will also receive one-on-one coaching for the final.
Roland-Garros is breaking ground as the first Grand Slam tournament to organize this
type of competition, helping to forge ever stronger links between sport and eSports.

About Roland-Garros
In the eyes of sports fans, and indeed the general public, the Roland Garros
tournament is an unmissable event that enjoys immense prestige. The 2019 French Open
attracted more than 520,000 spectators and was broadcast in 222 countries worldwide,
confirming the tournament’s status as a first-class international sporting event.
Organized by the French Tennis Federation, Roland Garros is the only Grand Slam
tournament to be played on clay, one of tennis’ oldest and finest surfaces.

About BNP Paribas and tennis
BNP Paribas is the number one partner to tennis worldwide. Its long-standing
commitment to the sport goes all the way back to 1973 and applies to all levels, all
over the world: singles, wheelchair tennis, team tennis and family tennis, and
ranging from coaching at beginners’ level to the top professional tournaments.

About NACON

Part of the BIGBEN Group, NACON came into being in 2019 with a view to developing
its expertise in close synergy with the video gaming market. With eight game
development studios and a focus on the publication of AA games and the design and
distribution of premium gaming accessories, NACON devotes its 20 years of experience
to gamers. This new unified hub strengthens NACO’s position on the market, unleashes
its potential for innovation through the creation of new and unique competitive
advantages, and also allows it to achieve its goal of becoming a world leader in
gaming. nacongaming.com/

About Team Vitality
An international eSports club, Team Vitality is devoted to excellence and the
development of a new generation of eSports players. Boasting some of the world’s
leading gamers among its ranks, Team Vitality is one of ten teams to compete in the
League of Legends European Championship, the most watched of all the continent’s
eSports leagues. A globally recognized entertainment and lifestyle brand, Team
Vitality and its players have more than 20 million followers across social media,
while the club has taken part in over 1,000 competitions around the world, racking
up more than 250 top-three finishes in the process.

Founded in 2013 by Nicolas Maurer and Fabien Devide, Team Vitality is based at the
V.Hive, its cutting-edge eSports hub in central Paris, and also runs two performance
centers, in Paris and Oxfordshire (England).