When it comes to supporting sports, golf, yachting, and motorsport are not the only ones that Rolex supports. The brand has also been enjoying a long-standing partnership with the French Open for about five decades now. The brand debuted with the Championships, Wimbledon as Official Timekeeper, in 1978 and since then there have been many 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 shares close ties with tennis’s top governing bodies, like the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) and WTA (Women’s Tennis Association), 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 also supports the greatest tennis players in history, from legends like Rod Laver, Björn Borg, Chris Evert, and Roger Federer to rising stars like Iga Świątek and Carlos Alcaraz.
In 2019, Rolex became a supporter and official timekeeper of the Roland-Garros, a major clay-court tennis tournament held annually in Paris, France. The two-week tournament will run from May 25 to June 8, and competing in the match would be two of the brand’s testimonies 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.”
While, when Chris Evert, who won 18 Grand Slam singles titles, including seven Roland-Garros titles and six US Open titles, presented Świątek 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.”
Roland-Garros is the only Grand Slam® to be played on a clay main court. The Court Philippe-Chatrier has a seating capacity of about 15,000 spectators. The arena features rectangular roofs for a great experience for visitors, and since 2021, night matches have been held under lights to increase accessibility for spectators.
This year, Rolex Testimonees Świątek, who is also known as the queen of clay, and Alcaraz, will defend their titles at Roland-Garros.
Images: Courtesy Rolex
Also Read :
TAG Heuer unveils three new Monaco timepieces
|
Ethos Watches unveils ‘City of Time’ in Gurugram
|
Longines celebrates a century of its first dual timezone wristwatch, with the special edition Spirit Zulu Time 1925
More In news
Sign up for our newsletters to have the latest stories delivered to your inbox
