Professional surfer Jesse Mendes is Body Glove’s newest addition to its growing athlete roster
REDONDO BEACH, California (March 3, 2021) — Jesse Mendes, the Brazilian-born professional surfer based out of Kauai, officially joins the Body Glove athlete team. Mendes is a 28-year-old goofyfooter who grew up in Gauruja, a small city just outside São Paulo. He caught the surf world’s attention while competing regularly against friends and fellow Brazilians Miguel Pupo and Gabriel Medina. Known for a progressive aerial game, dynamic single maneuvers and a balanced approach to competitive surfing, Mendes is the newest addition to Body Glove’s growing team of professional surfers. Mendes joins his wife Tatiana Weston-Webb and recent signee Hunter Jones on the Body Glove athlete roster.
“Jesse Mendes is one of our favorite surfers, we’ve watched him battle it out on the QS for years. His surfing continues to evolve and progress, and he’s a pleasure to hang out with in and out of the water,” says Body Glove Marketing Director Nick Meistrell. “His hardscrabble career is about to take off and Body Glove is psyched and honored to support him moving forward.”
Mendes weathered trials and setbacks during a long, seven-year grind on the Qualifying Series (QS)—professional surfing’s equivalent of the minor leagues. Injuries and barely missed cuts marred Mendes’ time on the QS from 2014 to 2016; however, his energy, upbeat approach, effusive smile and full-tilt surfing have always been reliably apparent whenever Jesse paddles out for a free surf or a competition heat. Through challenging years on the QS, Jesse Mendes’ wife Tatiana Weston-Webb—fellow Body Glove professional athlete and surfer on the women’s Championship Tour—supported Mendes along with encouragement from his friends and peers. This support system buoyed Mendes through the ranks of the QS and he is now poised to string together head-turning results while making a push to qualify for the men’s Championship Tour.
“As a professional surfer my goal is to get back on tour,” says Mendes. “I’ve been training hard for that and have always focused on developing my surfing. It’s been almost a year since I surfed in a heat because of injuries, so I’m really looking forward to getting back in a jersey. It feels great knowing I have the support from Body Glove, this team feels more like a family than something transactional. Body Glove lives and breathes surfing, they have a passion that is fresh and inspiring and I’m so excited to work with them.”
With his burgeoning partnership with the brand, Jesse Mendes will wear Body Glove products in the water and on land. Body Glove will also support Mendes on upcoming free-surf trips to create compelling content and introduce the brand to a global audience.
“Alongside Tati and Hunter, Jesse is the perfect addition to our roster of professional athletes at Body Glove,” adds Meistrell. “We have a few big ideas in the works, and I think people all over the world are going to appreciate Jesse’s surfing, energy and positivity.”
For interview requests and information on Jesse Mendes and Body Glove, please email Account Manager Katie Hostetler at katie.hostetler@rygr.us or Associate Account Manager Corinne Baud corinne.baud@rygr.us. To learn more about Mendes, watch his announcement video here.
About Body Glove
Since 1953, Body Glove has been all about the water. Body Glove has established itself as the leading watersports brand in the world by providing innovative, high quality products that protect people and enhance their lives, in and out of the water. Body Glove aims to protect the environment through product manufacturing as well as through the organizations that they support. Learn more at www.bodyglove.com.
