The eight best international players will clash in a Grand Final live on the virtual Roland-Garros red clay
Roland-Garros and BNP Paribas are delighted to announce the launch of the fourth edition of the Roland-Garros eSeries by BNP Paribas, an eTennis competition played on the Tennis World Tour 2 video game on PS4. The event, which will crown the 2021 International eTennis Champion, benefits from the support of the MCES Team, one of the leading French esport clubs.
Roland-Garros eSeries by BNP Paribas 2021: a springboard to a career in esport with the MCES Team’s backing
Following the latest editions of the Roland-Garros eSeries by BNP Paribas tournament, the French Tennis Federation has decided to adopt a new concept based on the esport ecosystem, by joining forces with specialized esport schools and universities. By choosing to collaborate with these institutions in seven different countries, the Roland-Garros eSeries by BNP Paribas want to bring to life the competition’s new ambitions and actively train young esport talents through a tournament combining competition and education. The aim is to make this tournament a springboard for participants towards a career in esport.
This year, the MCES Team, a professional esport club, is supporting Roland-Garros eTennis tournament as well as its entrants. In all of its activities, the club aims to combine sport with esport. To do this, the MCES Team trains its players like top-level athletes, under the management of Yannick Agnel, a French Olympic swimming champion. Its involvement strengthens the competition’s position in the esport ecosystem. The MCES Team is also committed to developing amateur esport and popularising the discipline, namely by running sport and esport courses for young people.
“We have placed sport at the heart of MCES since the very beginning, and today we are very proud to collaborate with an institution as renowned as the FFT, a symbol of performance and commitment. MCES’ mission is to connect the two worlds and build bridges between sport and esport: we would like to thank the FFT and Roland-Garros for giving us this opportunity to reassert our positioning” explained Romain Sombret, chairman and founder of the MCES Team. “We cannot wait to roll out this programme and welcome the winner of the Roland-Garros eSeries by BNP Paribas 2021 onto our team, to enable him/her to perfect his/her game and enjoy an immersive experience!”
All of the Grand Final’s participants will receive advice from the FFT and the MCES Team for their future esport career during a special workshop that will take place at Roland-Garros.
“This 4th edition of the Roland-Garros eSeries by BNP Paribas promises to be thrilling. This year, we wanted to team up with specialized esport institutions. Thanks to this new positioning, we hope that the Roland-Garros eSeries by BNP Paribas tournament will find its place in the French and international esport ecosystem, while continuing to promote tennis and eTennis. We are proud to share this ambition with our partner BNP Paribas and the MCES Team, and we are eager to get this new season started,” explained Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, Director General of the French Tennis Federation.
Qualifying stages: seven major esport schools and universities as well as a tournament for the general public
The Roland-Garros eSeries by BNP Paribas are joining forces with seven esport schools and universities established in France (Power House Gaming), Spain (e-Squad Academy), Italy (Esports Academy), Belgium (Hogeschool PXL), Germany (eSports Cologne), the United Kingdom (Staffordshire University) and Brazil (THE360) to organise the qualifying stages among their students between April 14th and 22nd.
Each national champion will qualify for the Grand Final, which will be held at Roland-Garros the day before the French Grand Slam fortnight begins, on Saturday May 29th. The eighth finalist will be the winner of an online tournament open to the general public in mainland France, whose final will be broadcast live on Twitch on Tuesday April 27th.
The international Grand Final – whose final will be broadcast live on Twitch – will be held during the Parisian Grand Slam, according to the health and safety measures in place given the current situation. On this occasion, the two finalists will share a cash prize of €5,000. After the tournament, only the winner will be invited for tests at HumanFab, a research laboratory for physical preparation for top-level sport and esport, as well as a 1-week bootcamp at the MCES Team’s Gaming Center in Marseille.
The UK will be represented by esport students of Staffordshire University. The university provides a range of esport courses for students and its teams are well looked after at the specialist Esports Lab and Pro Gamer training facilities on-site.
Stuart Kosters, Course leader BA (Hons) Esports stated: “We are extremely proud and honoured to represent the UK at the Roland-Garros eSeries by BNP Paribas competition. As the 1st university to introduce an esport degree in the UK, it is our mission at Staffordshire University to help support the community with education and opportunities for all.”
BNP Paribas: a bank committed to tennis and eTennis
This year once again, BNP Paribas is teaming up with the French Tennis Federation and reasserting its status as a bank committed to promote the future of tennis, whether on the red clay of Philippe-Chatrier court or on the virtual one of the Roland-Garros eSeries by BNP Paribas. With this commitment, the bank has chosen to continue its innovative actions and confirms its positioning as a sponsor of all types of tennis, even in its virtual format.
“As an official sponsor of Roland-Garros for 48 years, BNP Paribas is delighted to support this 4th edition of the Roland-Garros eSeries, in collaboration with the FFT. Through this tournament mixing training and competition, we renew our support for future champions of eTennis by giving them the opportunity to glean advice from professionals from the gaming industry,” explained Vincent-Baptiste Closon, Head of Partnerships & Events at BNP Paribas.
Follow all of the news from the Roland-Garros eSeries by BNP Paribas on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram. For further information, visit the Roland-Garros website. Two shows will be live streamed on Twitch on Tuesday April 27th and on Saturday May 29th, and will feature two well-known streamers, whose identity will be revealed in a few days’ time.
And for more gaming news be sure to visit our section HERE.
