Apart 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 Slams | Companies |
|---|---|
| 4 | – |
| 3 | Emirates, Lavazza, Polo Ralph Lauren and Rolex* |
| 2 | American Express, Chubb, Evian, IBM, Infosys, Mastercard, Oppo and Wilson |
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.
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.
| Company | Industry |
|---|---|
| Kia | Automotive |
| Rolex | Watches |
| Luzhoulaojiao | Beverages (alcoholic) |
| Emirates | Airline |
| ABC Bullion | Bullion dealer |
| ANZ | Financial services |
| Bondi Sands | Personal care |
| Canadian Club | Beverages (alcoholic) |
| Chemist Warehouse | Pharmacy |
| Chubb | Insurance |
| City of Melbourne | Tourism |
| DeRucci | Retail (sleeping resources) |
| Dunlop | Sporting goods |
| Gordon’s | Beverages (alcoholic) |
| Grainshaker | Beverages (alcoholic) |
| Infosys | Information technology |
| Marriott Bonvoy | Tourism |
| Mastercard | Financial services |
| Piper-Heidsieck | Beverages (alcoholic) |
| Peroni Italia | Beverages (alcoholic) |
| Pure blonde organic cider | Beverages (alcoholic) |
| Polo Ralph Lauren | Fashion |
| Initial | Hygiene |
| SafetyCulture | Software development |
| TMGM | Financial services |
| Toshiba | Conglomerate |
| Treasury wine estates | Beverages (alcoholic) |
| Uber Eats | E-commerce food ordering |
| Melbourne – Victoria | Tourism |
| Yonex | Sporting 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.
| Company | Industry |
|---|---|
| BNP Paribas | Financial services |
| Emirates | Airline |
| Lacoste | Fashion |
| Oppo | Consumer electronics |
| Renault | Automotive |
| Rolex | Watches |
| Engie | Electric utility |
| Infosys | Information technology |
| Perrier | Beverages (water) |
| Wilson | Sporting goods |
| AccorHotels | Tourism |
| The Adecco Group | Professional services |
| Hespéride | Outdoor furniture |
| JCDecaux | Media(advertising) |
| Lavazza | Beverages |
| Magnum | Food |
| Mastercard | Financial services |
| Moët Hennessy | Luxury goods |
| Orange | Telecommunications |
| Potel & Chabot | Events |
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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.
| Company | Industry |
|---|---|
| Slazenger | Sporting goods |
| IBM | Information technology |
| Lanson | Beverages (alcoholic) |
| Polo Ralph Lauren | Fashion |
| HSBC | Financial services |
| Evian | Beverages (water) |
| Lavazza | Beverages |
| Jaguar Land Rover | Automotive |
| Pimm’s | Beverages (alcoholic) |
| American Express | Financial services |
| Oppo | Consumer electronics |
| Sipsmith | Beverage (alcoholic) |
| Vodafone | Telecommunications |
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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.
| Company | Industry |
|---|---|
| American Express | Financial services |
| Chase | Financial services |
| Emirates | Airline |
| J.P. Morgan | Financial services |
| Asheville | Tourism |
| Cadillac | Automotive |
| Chubb | Insurance |
| Rolex | Watches |
| Deloitte | Professional services |
| Evian | Beverages (water) |
| IBM | Information Technology |
| IHG Hotels & Resorts | Tourism |
| La Roche Posay | Personal care |
| Moderna | Health care |
| Polo Ralph Lauren | Fashion |
| BodyArmor | Beverage |
| Grey Goose | Beverages (alcoholic) |
| Heineken | Beverages (alcoholic) |
| Lavazza | Beverages |
| Mount Sinai | Health Care |
| Ticketmaster | Ticket sales |
| Tiffany & Co. | Luxury goods |
| Wilson | Sporting goods |
| ESPN | Media |
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i am looking for a corporate Sponsors for my college team. How do i go about trying to find them?
Thanks
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•
It is KIA. KIA motors!
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
Hello David. I suggest you contact the French Tennis Federation, since they organise Roland Garros. Good luck!
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.
Hi. Thank you for letting us know. We will look into it.