When it comes to sports, golf, yachting, and motorsport are not the only ones that Rolex supports. The brand has also had a long-standing partnership with the French Open for about five decades now. The association started with Wimbledon, where Rolex stepped in as Official Timekeeper in 1978, and since then, there have been several partnerships in both men’s and women’s games, including the four Grand Slam® events - the Australian Open, Roland-Garros, Wimbledon, and the US Open.
The brand also shares close ties with tennis’s top governing bodies, like the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) to support the Nitto ATP Finals and the WTA Finals - both the events bring together the best players of the year for an epic showdown. Rolex is also a major supporter and the official timekeeper of the Davis Cup Finals and the Laver Cup.
Beyond tournaments, Rolex is also associated with renowned tennis players in history, from legends like Rod Laver, Björn Borg, Chris Evert, and Roger Federer to rising stars like Coco Gauff, Iga Świątek, and Carlos Alcaraz.
In 2019, Rolex became a supporter and official timekeeper of the Roland-Garros, a major clay-court tennis tournament (in fact, the only Grand Slam® to be played on a clay court) held annually in Paris, France. Its centre court, the Court Philippe-Chatrier, has a seating capacity of about 15,000 spectators, and since 2021, night matches have been held under lights to increase accessibility for spectators. This year, the two-week tournament will run from May 25 to June 8, and competing in the matches would be two of the brand’s testimonees and current champions, Iga Świątek, a four-time Roland-Garros women's singles title winner; and Carlos Alcaraz, who has won 19 ATP Tour-level singles titles, including four major titles and seven ATP 1000 titles, and winner of Roland‑Garros in 2024.
Last year, lifting the winning trophy Alcaraz said, “I’m really grateful to have the team I have and the people I have around me. I know everyone in my team is giving their heart just to make me improve as a player and as a person, to grow up. It’s been a great journey from the first match until today. The Rolex Daytona I am wearing right now is also the watch I wore when I lifted the Wimbledon trophy last year. It has been with me for some very important moments and holds many memories from my tennis career.”
When Chris Evert, who won 18 Grand Slam singles titles, including seven Roland-Garros titles and six US Open titles, presented Świątek, also known as the 'Queen of Clay' the Suzanne-Lenglen trophy, Świątek said “I feel really proud to have won my fourth title in Paris. Chris is a legend and has had amazing achievements on the clay, so I’m super grateful to hear her say those words. There have been so many great players in the Rolex family who have changed the history of the sport and I’m sure her record will stay for a while. Last year, she told me to go for it, so I’m just going to listen to her advice and keep working hard.”
This year, Rolex Testimonees Świątek and Alcaraz, will defend their titles at Roland-Garros.
Images: Courtesy Rolex
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