With 2019, Rolex celebrates the inaugural year as the premium partner, official timekeeper and official watch of Roland-Garros, for the first time in its history.
Held from 26 May to 9 June, Roland-Garros gathers the world’s absolute best tennis players in Paris, serving as the year’s second Grand Slam tournament – and the only one played on clay. Grippy clay serves as a challenge unto its own that every player wants to conquer; but only a handful ever claim to attain.
Alongside its philanthropic missions and other outstanding global sports sponsorships, Rolex has been a loyal and enthusiastic supporter of tennis for over 40 years. The foundations can be traced back to Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf, who made the perpetual drive for excellence the company’s defining creed. And so, in 1978, when Rolex became the Official Timekeeper of Wimbledon – the sport’s oldest and most revered tournament – this drive has been set into motion yet once more.
Since then, Rolex has marked some of the most important and unforgettable moments of the sport – rewarding the patience, precision and endurance of the best in the field with a Rolex watch to serve as the ultimate testimony of their sacrifices and successes.
Rolex has attained a group of outstanding professionals from multiple disciplines and walks of life: it was 10 years ago that a Rolex Testimonee, Roger Federer, has conquered the clay of Court Philippe-Chatrier to win his first Roland-Garros men’s singles title, consequently becoming just the sixth man in the history of tennis to complete a career Grand Slam.
Roger Federer is a valued member of the Rolex family of Testimonees. The brand has partnered with the Swiss phenomenon for most of his glorious career, including his first Grand Slam triumph at Wimbledon in 2003 and his most recent at the Australian Open in 2018. His effortless elegance and grace on and off the court perfectly embodies the most valued Rolex attributes of longevity, accuracy and exceptional performance.
Several Rolex Testimonees have enjoyed a rich run of form at Roland-Garros in recent years, most notably Spain’s Garbińe Muguruza, who won the women’s singles title in 2016, and Latvia’s JelenaOstapenko, who won her first Grand Slam in 2017, just two days after her 20th birthday. In 2018, Testimonees Dominic Thiem and 2017 US Open winner Sloane Stephens reached the men’s and women’s singles finals respectively; both will return to Paris this year.
Other Testimonees counted among the sport’s most exciting athletes and eager to make their mark at Roland-Garros, include Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic, Russia’s Karen Khachanov, and 2019 Australian Open semi-finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece.
They will be aiming to follow in the footsteps of fellow Testimonees Björn Borg, Justine Henin, Jim Courier and Chris Evert, legends of the sport who have all triumphed at this esteemed Grand Slam tournament on multiple occasions.
Rolex’s official and high-ranking partnership with Roland-Garros is another exhibition of The Crown’s striving for, and appreciation of, unparalleled dedication and superior performance. The final for the Men’s Singles on Roland-Garros 2019 is to be held on June 9th.
To explore more about the watches Rolex Testimonees have earned and been wearing with pride, visit our authorized Petite Geneve Petrovic boutiques in Budapest, Belgrade, and Porto Montenegro.
