Inside BUNKR, the cybersecurity startup winning over the tennis world

Today’s top tennis players operate more like one-person conglomerates. They’re competing at the highest level while living out of suitcases and flying across continents, and handling the business side of their careers while on the move and in public view.

Prize money, visas, contracts—many of these logistics are handled in airport lounges, hotel lobbies, or anywhere with Wi-Fi, often on mobile devices that are far from secure.

In a world where their schedules can be unpredictable and their online exposure is constant, protecting personal data has become as essential as protecting their serve. A new ATP partnership underscores just how urgent that need has become.

Enter BUNKR, the all-in-one privacy and security app that has quickly become a trusted tool for players and their teams. In January, the ATP partnered with BUNKR to provide a co-branded version of the app and a free year of membership (after that, it’s $11.99 annually). Hundreds of players across the spectrum—Top 10 stars, rising juniors, and retired pros—have already signed on.

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“As a membership organization we are always looking for tools to help our players succeed,” says Fernando Sanchez, Senior VP of Player Relations at ATP Tour. “They have complicated, demanding lives with year-round travel, and BUNKR enables them to organize their careers in a safe and simple way.

“We offer our players BUNKR accounts to store personal information, safely save passwords, and communicate with their teams.”

Between tournaments, travel and media, my world never stops moving, and neither does my data. BUNKR keeps it secure, private, and under my control... Bethanie Mattek-Sands

The app was created by entrepreneur Kurt Long and his son Trent Long, who previously worked in healthcare cybersecurity. While traveling, they realized how difficult it was for individuals to keep their essential information organized and protected—from passwords to passports—especially across multiple devices and locations. That idea became BUNKR Life LLC in 2020, and the BUNKR app launched in 2023. It soon caught on with families, executives, international travelers, and eventually professional athletes.

“The players and the agents and the coaches got to a point where they were like, ‘Man, we’re going to do something about this,’” said CEO and co-founder Kurt Long, speaking to Tennis.com exclusively via video chat. “We’re going to get organized, secure, get everything in one place, and when we share sensitive information, we’re going to do it with people we trust. And that’s been BUNKR.”

BUNKR provides bank-grade protection for users who need a secure place to store or exchange personal information. It combines a secure vault for documents (including travel papers, visa applications and medical records) with a password manager, private messaging, document scanning and encrypted notes.

Read More: ATP says Safe Sport program has flagged more than 162,000 abusive online comments to players

Its standout feature is members-only messaging, which filters out spam and impersonators by allowing players to communicate only with verified contacts. For athletes whose social media inboxes are overflowing with scams or abusive messages—a trend the Longs say has increased alongside sports betting—that protection is invaluable.

The app’s clean interface is another reason it has taken hold on tour. Players juggling long travel days, limited downtime and sometimes multiple languages don’t have room for complicated security tools. BUNKR’s simplicity and speed lower the barrier to staying safe, which is a big part of its appeal across the ATP and WTA.

“It kind of formed organically,” said Trent Long. “We had a lot of adoption from players, and they started sharing with others how beneficial BUNKR was for them. Eventually agents and coaches joined too, and that network began to expand on its own.

“We caught the eye of the ATP and the WTA, and we started working with them. In January, we made BUNKR available to all ATP players as a benefit of their ATP membership. We also created a special version of the app with custom branding and product adjustments to create the most efficient version for how players would use it.”

BUNKR’s website features testimonials from players, coaches, media and others in the sport, highlighting how quickly it has become part of daily tour life:

Bethanie Mattek-Sands, former doubles world No. 1: “Between tournaments, travel and media, my world never stops moving, and neither does my data. BUNKR keeps it secure, private, and under my control. From stadiums to airports to sharing my life online, BUNKR is protection that moves with me in a world full of noise and exposure.”

Filip Krajinovic, former ATP Top 30: “I feel like I finally found an app where I don’t have to worry about being hacked. Privacy is important to me.”

Mike James, tennis analyst: “With so many messaging platforms recently exposed for security flaws, finding a safe place to store sensitive documents and communicate privately has never been more important. BUNKR has been a game-changer… well worth the subscription.”

As adoption grows at the pro level, BUNKR is also expanding deeper into the sports world. Collegiate tennis is a major focus, especially as the N.I.L. era pushes young athletes to sign deals earlier and manage more complex relationships with agents and brands. Hannah Keeling, BUNKR’s newly appointed director of business development in tennis, is helping lead that effort.

The company is seeing similar momentum across collegiate athletics more broadly, including college football and, later, among NFL players who have adopted or continued using the app.

“We’re excited. We love tennis. For everyone here, tennis is a huge part of our life,” says Kurt Long. “It’s a huge part of our business, but we’re also excited about the wider world of sports. We want to protect people and share what we know how to do.”

Long has played recreational tennis since his teens in Tampa Bay. While he never turned pro, he’s still found a way into the sport—not with a racquet, but with a tool that helps players stay organized, avoid distractions and feel secure on and off the court. For a group constantly on the move, that peace of mind might be as valuable as any piece of equipment in their bags.