Match point

Among the clay courts of Roland Garros in Paris, fashion labels won the match point. In fact, there was a parade of fashion brands which colonized the tournament, with a total value of 47 million euros (+6.8% compared to 2019, the last edition played with the stands open to the public) and in which the winners took home 2.2 million euros each. Among the brands standing out, there was Lacoste, a French brand that this year, in addition to being an official premium partner along with companies such as Rolex and Emirates, has launched an official off-the-pitch capsule collection in collaboration with the tournament, featuring polo shirts, T-shirts, sweatshirts, and the Après-Court photo campaign. After all, in the 1920s, before being the inventor of the famous crocodile polo shirt, founder Jean-René Lacoste was a European tennis ace.

It was also an exciting time for watch manufacturers, each with its own testimonial. First and foremost, Rolex, the tournament's official timepiece, whose ambassadors in this edition included Zverev (already Zegna’s testimonial) and Tsistipas, as well as Jannik Sinner, who joined the club of the brand's testimonials and was also chosen for the same role by Gucci, which invited him to its fashion show at Castel del Monte in Apulia. In addition, according to rumors, the Trentino-born tennis player has signed a 15-million-euro-a-year deal with Nike for ten years. He would seem to be following in the footsteps of fellow player Rafael Nadal, who in his career has earned a total prize money of more than 100 million euros from the various tournaments played. Nadal, a testimonial for Richard Mille, was among the stars of the competition, particularly in the match against Hublot brand ambassador Novak Djokovic.

Russian Daniil Medvedev could not fail to have his own watch sponsor, branded Bovet 1822, while Tag Heuer secured in its pool of testimonials the next gen of tennis, Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov, among others. But there is more beyond watches.

Standing out on the Paris clay court there were also Ajla Tomljanovic's outfit signed by tennis brand Penguin, Fila's fluorescent kit for Brandon Nakashima, and the colorful Nike jacket worn by Naomi Osaka. As for sportswear, sports brands took the lead once again. Nike, for example, was among the most prominent ones in terms of brands, appearing on the chest of Sinner as well as on those of Rafael Nadal and enfant prodige Emma Raducanu, formerly the face of Dior and Tiffany off the court.

New balance made its figure as well, an American brand worn by tennis player Coco Gauff, born in 2004, among the best players along with Iga Swiatek, sponsored by Asics. Gauff is one of the best players in the world and the American brand even dedicated her a personal line, the New Balance Coco Gauff collection. As for Italian brands, Diadora exulted thanks to the performance of tennis player Martina Trevisan, who exited the competition in the semifinals. (All rights reserved)