Rolex and Tennis: A Match Made in Time

Rolex not only supports the world’s most prestigious tennis tournaments – as with leading men’s and women’s players – but has been a loyal and enthusiastic partner of the game for more than 40 years.

(Hero image: Rolex Testimonee and 2024 Roland-Garros Men’s Singles Champion, Carlos Alcaraz, lifts the Musketeers’ Trophy)

Rolex’s affinity for sports and human achievement can be traced back to the pioneering origins of the company. When founder Hans Wilsdorf set up his watchmaking firm, he was influenced by the swift changes sweeping through society at the beginning of the 20th century. In an era when wristwatches were still regarded as fragile items of apparel, he was determined to create one that would be robust, precise, and reliable, adapted to ever more active and sporting lifestyles.

As part of its quest for excellence, Rolex seeks partnerships with individuals and organisations in the arts and in sport who set the highest standards of performance. For more than a century this leading Swiss watchmaker’s philosophy – through continuous improvement and innovation – has underpinned all of the company’s activities, both in its watchmaking and wider engagements.

When it comes to tennis, Rolex’s support and commitment has been going strong for more than 40 years. During this time, the watchmaker has not only built a rich legacy of championing excellence and helping to maintain the traditions of the sport, but has also officially partnered with four ‘Grand Slam’ tournaments: the Australian Open, Roland-Garros, Wimbledon, and the US Open.

Rolex also maintains close ties with the bodies that govern the sport, including the men’s Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), and is associated with both those association’s end-of-season championships – the Nitto ATP Finals and the WTA Finals. Rolex also sponsors the Davis Cup Finals, a leading international men’s team competition that is steeped in history and embodies exemplary sportsmanship.

In addition to all this, the watchmaker also supports tennis by partnering with some of the most distinguished players to have ever graced the court – known as Rolex Testimonees. These partnerships build on a tradition that began in 1978 when Rolex forged its association with Wimbledon, the sport’s oldest and most revered tournament, and continue to this day with competitions held across the globe.

AUSTRALIAN OPEN

Since 2008, Rolex has been the Official Partner and Official Timekeeper of the Australian Open, which takes place in January as players return from the off-season reinvigorated and ready to make a strong start in the new year. It’s also the first Grand Slam event of the year, and with roots dating back to 1905 it has hosted some of the greatest players and most epic matches in tennis history. Originally played on grass, in 1988 the tournament relocated to the hard courts of Melbourne Park.

ROLAND-GARROS

Rolex is the Premium Partner, Official Timekeeper and Official Watch of Roland- Garros, as well as Official Partner of the French Tennis Federation. The second of the four annual Grand Slam tournaments, taking place in late May and early June, it has been held at Roland-Garros Stadium in Paris since 1928. It is also the only Grand Slam event currently held on clay courts, a physically demanding surface where the slower pace of play, higher bouncing ball, and longer rallies demand a high level of skill and endurance from the players.

THE CHAMPIONSHIPS, WIMBLEDON

Rolex has enjoyed an enduring partnership with Wimbledon as Official Timekeeper since 1978. As world’s first lawn tennis championships, Wimbledon has remained a beacon of sporting excellence and ideals since its inception in July 1877. The event also holds a special place amongst Rolex’s sporting partnerships, as it marks the start of the brand’s blossoming relationship with tennis.

US OPEN

Rolex is the Official Sponsor and Official Timekeeper of the US Open, and as a major sponsor of tennis it was only natural that the brand built upon its heritage through an association with the last of the four annual Grand Slam tournaments, which takes place in late August and early September.

NITTO ATP FINALS & WTA FINALS

Rolex is the Official Timekeeper of the ATP Tour and its peak tournament, the Nitto ATP Finals, and of the WTA Finals. Both tournaments bring together the top eight men’s and women’s singles players, as well as doubles teams, in a series of thrilling season finales.

DAVIS CUP FINALS

The Davis Cup is the premier team competition in men’s tennis and one of the oldest of its kind, dating back to 1900. Sanctioned by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), it attracts more than 150 nations – including the elite 16-nation World Group – which makes it one of the largest team events in the world. Rolex has partnered the Davis Cup since 2007 and continues to back the revamped national team competition, which in 2019 adopted a more condensed competition schedule.

TESTIMONEES

Rolex has forged relationships with many of the sport’s greatest players; men and women spread across several generations who have shaped the game and continue to determine its future. Swiss icon Roger Federer – a Rolex Testimonee since 2001 – won 20 Grand Slam singles titles, including a record eight Wimbledon crowns, before retiring in 2022. That same year, Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz achieved his maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open and became the youngest men’s player to reach the World No. 1 ranking. In 2023, he went on to win Wimbledon for the first time, with the American player Coco Gauff also achieving her first Grand Slam title at the US Open that year.

Currently ranked as the World No. 1 in women’s singles by the Women’s Tennis Association, Iga Świątek from Poland is also part of the Rolex Testimonee family. To date, she has bagged five Grand Slam tournaments – among them, four wins at Roland- Garros. Other members of the Rolex family include fellow Grand Slam winners Angelique Kerber, Garbiñe Muguruza, Sloane Stephens, Dominic Thiem, and Caroline Wozniacki, along with Stéfanos Tsitsipás, the youngest winner of the season-ending the Nitto ATP Finals (a feat he achieved in 2019 at age 21).

Rolex counts many more of the game’s most exciting talents amongst its Testimonees, including Jannik Sinner, Holger Rune, Taylor Fritz, Caroline Garcia, Lorenzo Musetti, Qinwen Zheng, Belinda Bencic, and Bianca Andreescu. They’ve also partnered with such legends as Rod Laver (the only professional to win all four Grand Slam singles titles in 1969), Björn Borg (five- time consecutive Wimbledon singles champion and six-time winner at Roland- Garros), Chris Evert (18-time Grand Slam singles champion), and Grand Slam singles champions Jim Courier, Stefan Edberg, Justine Henin, Ana Ivanovic, and Li Na.