Grand Slam sponsors

Grand Slam SponsorsApart from Wimbledon, you cannot escape tennis sponsorships (logos) when you are watching a Grand Slam. The sponsors provide part of the tournaments’ income, also used for the grand prize purses, and in return get, among others, brand visibility.

We take a look at the Grand Slam sponsors – as listed on the tournaments’ websites – first by comparing them and then by listing the partners of all four majors.

71 different companies, no true Grand Slam

It is well known that Wimbledon takes a slightly different approach to sponsoring than the other Grand Slams. Focussing on long-term partnerships with an exclusive number of companies. Indeed, Wimbledon has the least amount of sponsors or partners with 13. The Australian Open has the most partners with 30, followed by the US Open with 24, while Roland Garros has 20 partners listed on their website.

71 different companies have official partnerships with at least one of the four Grand Slam tournaments, including 12 who sponsor multiple tournaments. No company sponsors all four Grand Slams at the moment. Lavazza, the Italian coffee brand, did so in 2020, but ended their association with the Australian Open. While Rolex is associated with all four Majors, it is not listed as official sponsor of Wimbledon.

Companies sponsoring more than one Grand Slam

Number of Grand SlamsCompanies
4
3Emirates, Lavazza, Polo Ralph Lauren and Rolex*
2American Express, Chubb, Evian, IBM, Infosys, Mastercard, Oppo and Wilson
Note*: Rolex is not listed as official partner by Wimbledon, but the two organisations have a long-term affiliation, with the brand visible on the website and around the courts.

Most popular partner: (alcoholic) beverages and financial services firms

When the brands are categorised based on industry, you can roughly divide them into 29 different industries. Producers of beverages are by far the most popular Grand Slams partners with 20 such partnerships. 13 of those produce alcoholic beverages, three are water companies (twice Evian) and four produce other drinks (three times Lavazza). And although alcohol sponsorship causes fierce debate and controversy in many sports, the industry is well represented in tennis.

Financial services companies also seem to make an interesting partner. Each Grand Slam has at least one financial partner with a total of ten partners (eight different companies) from the financial services sector.

Grand Slam partnerships per industry 2022

Watches

All tournaments have a watchmaker as (official) partner. Watches and tennis are a perfect sponsorship match when considering the image of both, with characteristics like precision and elegance. In the past different brands were linked to the four Grand Slam. But after the French Open switched from Swiss company Longines to Rolex recently, all Grand Slams are now affiliated with Rolex. Including Wimbledon, who does not list the watchmaker as official partner, but has a long-term affiliation with the brand.

Australian Open sponsors

The Australian Open has the highest amount of partners with 30. Noticeable is that they have several tourism partners in order to promote the region. They also have eight beverage sponsors, all alcoholic drinks.

CompanyIndustry
KiaAutomotive
RolexWatches
LuzhoulaojiaoBeverages (alcoholic)
EmiratesAirline
ABC BullionBullion dealer
ANZFinancial services
Bondi SandsPersonal care
Canadian ClubBeverages (alcoholic)
Chemist WarehousePharmacy
ChubbInsurance
City of MelbourneTourism
DeRucciRetail (sleeping resources)
DunlopSporting goods
Gordon’sBeverages (alcoholic)
GrainshakerBeverages (alcoholic)
InfosysInformation technology
Marriott BonvoyTourism
MastercardFinancial services
Piper-HeidsieckBeverages (alcoholic)
Peroni ItaliaBeverages (alcoholic)
Pure blonde organic ciderBeverages (alcoholic)
Polo Ralph LaurenFashion
InitialHygiene
SafetyCultureSoftware development
TMGMFinancial services
ToshibaConglomerate
Treasury wine estatesBeverages (alcoholic)
Uber EatsE-commerce food ordering
Melbourne – VictoriaTourism
YonexSporting goods

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Dunlop Australian Open balls

Roland Garros sponsors

Roland Garros lists 20 partners on their website with almost all of them active in different industries. They have no alcoholic beverages as partners like the other Grand Slams, likely because it is prohibited to advertise alcohol in France.

In 2019 Roland Garros announced multiple new partners: Rolex, Oppo, Wilson and Infosys. For the 2021 edition outdoor furniture company Hespéride was added. While in 2022 they replaced Peugeot with Renault, both French car manufacturers. The deal runs until 2026 and is said to be worth between €5 and €7 million.

CompanyIndustry
BNP ParibasFinancial services
EmiratesAirline
LacosteFashion
OppoConsumer electronics
RenaultAutomotive
RolexWatches
EngieElectric utility
InfosysInformation technology
PerrierBeverages (water)
WilsonSporting goods
AccorHotelsTourism
The Adecco GroupProfessional services
HespérideOutdoor furniture
JCDecauxMedia(advertising)
LavazzaBeverages
MagnumFood
MastercardFinancial services
Moët HennessyLuxury goods
OrangeTelecommunications
Potel & ChabotEvents

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Wimbledon sponsors

Wimbledon works with suppliers rather than sponsors, with all companies supplying something essential, like balls or drinks, to the tournament. Noticeable is that five of the 13 suppliers can be categorised in the beverage (drink) industry.

In the last few years Wimbledon has added several new sponsors. In 2019 American Express became Wimbledon’s official payment partner. In 2020 they debuted their first Asian partner (Oppo), while gin brand Sipsmith came on board for the 2021 edition.

In 2022 they added Vodafone, but ended their deal with Stella Artois (alcoholic beverage) and Robinsons (soft drink beverage). The latter had been a partner of Wimbledon since 1935. Only Slazenger (since 1902) had a longer association with the Championships.

Rolex is not listed as official partner, but is visible on the website and around the courts.

CompanyIndustry
SlazengerSporting goods
IBMInformation technology
LansonBeverages (alcoholic)
Polo Ralph LaurenFashion
HSBCFinancial services
EvianBeverages (water)
LavazzaBeverages
Jaguar Land RoverAutomotive
Pimm’sBeverages (alcoholic)
American ExpressFinancial services
OppoConsumer electronics
SipsmithBeverage (alcoholic)
VodafoneTelecommunications

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US Open sponsors

The US Open has 24 different sponsors/partners. It is the only Grand Slam that has a ticket sales company, Ticketmaster, as partner.

In 2022, the New York tournament added Asheville as tourism partner, Cadillac as automotive partner, La Roche Posey as first ever sunscreen partner and Moderna to raise awareness for their mRNA-vaccin against COVID-19.

CompanyIndustry
American ExpressFinancial services
ChaseFinancial services
EmiratesAirline
J.P. MorganFinancial services
AshevilleTourism
CadillacAutomotive
ChubbInsurance
RolexWatches
DeloitteProfessional services
EvianBeverages (water)
IBMInformation Technology
IHG Hotels & ResortsTourism
La Roche PosayPersonal care
ModernaHealth care
Polo Ralph LaurenFashion
BodyArmorBeverage
Grey GooseBeverages (alcoholic)
HeinekenBeverages (alcoholic)
LavazzaBeverages
Mount SinaiHealth Care
TicketmasterTicket sales
Tiffany & Co.Luxury goods
WilsonSporting goods
ESPNMedia

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Related: Tennis sponsorships

7 Responses

  1. Will Riley says:

    i am looking for a corporate Sponsors for my college team. How do i go about trying to find them?

    Thanks

  2. Jordan Knight says:

    Hello,

    I’m a bit unco-ordinated to be a tennis sponsor myself but deuce as it is I’m wondering what the KN as a company represents as a name!

    Thanks Cheers,
    •Jordan Knight•

  3. David says:

    Hello,
    Who should I contact in the Roland Garros organization in the case I would like to set a corporate booth in the tennis facility during the tournament?

    Thank for your help
    David

  4. Christian Ulrik Hansen says:

    Hi. I can see that the ballboys etc. are wearing new balance shoes this year. So NB might be a sponsor for AO as well i suppose. I am not sure about the close though.

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