Kia Motors Corporation, the major partner of the Australian Open, announced a five-year partnership renewal with tennis all-time great Rafael Nadal.

The renewal signing will extend the Nadal-Kia partnership beyond the 20-year mark, as then-young tennis phenom was first sponsored by Kia Spain back in 2004 before becoming Kia's Global Brand Ambassador two years later at only 19 years of age.

"Kia has been by my side since I was 17 years old and has played a big part in my journey as a professional tennis player and as a person. I'm excited to see what the next five years bring both on and off the court," said Nadal.

Kia Motors President and CEO, Ho Sung Song, said, "Our 16-year partnership with Rafa has inspired millions of people to play tennis. We are excited about extending our partnership for the next five years and look forward to inspiring each other to continually move forward."