The luxury watch brands that won over tennis’ next-gen elite: Rolex signed world No 1s Iga Świątek and Carlos Alcaraz, while Rafael Nadal remains Richard Mille’s rep and Tag Heuer has Naomi Osaka

Jan 29 , 2023

Tennis GOATs have landed some of the biggest deals with watch brands over the years, from Rolex and Met Gala host Roger Federer to Audemars Piguet with Serena Williams and Hublot’s Novak Djokovic

Tag Heuer has signed up former women’s world No 1 Naomi Osaka and Canadians Denis Shapovalov and Félix Auger-Aliassime, Richard Mille has Sebastian Korda, while Bulgari has Andrey Rublev

Tennis and timepieces go hand in hand and for years the world’s biggest watch brands have maintained an association with the tennis elite. That applies most of all to the recent flock of GOATs (greatest of all time): Rolex is to Roger Federer – recently announced as a host of this year’s Met Gala – what Richard Mille is to Rafael Nadal, Audemars Piguet is to Serena Williams and Hublot is to Novak Djokovic.

US tennis great Serena Williams celebrates winning a set in the women’s singles final at Wimbledon in 2015. Photo: AFP

These players, recently retired or in the last years of their glorious careers, remain the most esteemed names in tennis, but it’s now time for new stars to take over, winning on the court and off it when it comes to watches as well as matches. Below, we explore the luxury watch brands upping their game and pairing up with the rising young guns of tennis:

1. Rolex

Current women’s world No 1 tennis player Iga Świątek of Poland. Photo: @rolex/Instagram

In 1978, luxury watch brand Rolex forged a partnership with Wimbledon, often considered the most prestigious tournament of the four tennis majors – the others being the Australian Open, French Open and US Open. Rolex’s principal status in tennis was furthered when its ambassador, Federer, won Wimbledon in 2003.

Rolex Oyster Perpetual 41, the watch partnered with the Australian Open. Photo: Rolex

The brand has gone on to complete its own grand slam – partnering with all four majors. Italian Watch Spotter identifies the exact Rolex model per tournament: the Rolex Oyster Perpetual 41 for the Australian Open, the Rolex GMT Master II for the French Open at Roland Garros, the Rolex 41mm Datejust in Oystersteel and yellow gold for Wimbledon, and the Rolex 36mm Datejust in steel and yellow gold with a Jubilee bracelet for the US Open.

Current men’s world No 1 tennis player Carlos Alcaraz of Spain. Photo: @rolex/Instagram

Staying in the game, Rolex has reportedly signed a slew of tennis’ new brand of greats, including women’s world No 1 Iga Świątek and men’s No 1 Carlos Alcaraz, and big-name players Coco Gauff, Caroline Garcia, Garbiñe Muguruza, Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Holger Rune, Jannik Sinner and others.

2. Tag Heuer

Former women’s world No 1 Naomi Osaka. Photo: @naomiosaka/Instagram

Tag Heuer has also been quick to sign up young stars. They’ve signed deals with two-time Australian Open and US Open champ, and former world No 1, Naomi Osaka, to front their brand. Up-and-coming tennis masters and Canadians Denis Shapovalov and Félix Auger-Aliassime are also ambassadors.

Tag Heuer Aquaracer x Naomi Osaka. Photo: @tagheuer/Instagram