Tennis players don’t only wear watches for the show when they compete in public. What better manner could someone gain access than through advertising? Why do tennis players wear watches?
Sponsors that wish to promote their products are paying for them so that people can wear them and take advantage of any potential opportunities for their watch brand. The close-up TV angle will constantly focus on that person’s racquet, which then leads all other arm components, including wrists, into a great marketing area.
Why Do Tennis Players Wear Watches – Everything you need to know!
Tennis players frequently don a variety of accouterments, such as tape, sleeves, sweatbands, etc. Wearing a watch on the playing hand defies the notion that anything and everything may be considered playing accouterments.
You could wonder why watch-wearing tennis players exist, as well as whether you ought to wear yourself. At the professional level, an endorsement is nearly usually the cause of the answer. Some of the most well-known watch brands are aware that professional tennis players can help sell a particular wristwatch.
Fans often get a good look at something they might consider purchasing because the game is played with a tennis racquet and the wrist is frequently in plain view up close throughout a match.
High-end businesses are aware of the marketing possibilities because tennis, on average, has a strong fan base with a lot of disposable wealth. When Roger Federer wears a Rolex comfortably during workouts and press conferences, it instantly gains cooler.
Wearing the Watch Throughout and Following a Match
Few of the top players on the tour today decline the chance to earn extra sponsorship money by donning branded watches. Just a few watch companies, including Rolex, Tag Heuer, Richard Mille, Rado, and Audemars Piguet, have experimented with sponsoring a star athlete.
Players receive free timepieces as well as additional compensation in the form of money. Elite athletes should easily receive more than $1 million from a watch agreement. Although each top player’s sponsorship agreement may be unique, several athletes have discovered that wearing a watch while playing is OK.
The official signing of Nadal to Richard Mille during the past few years may have been the most significant development. Nadal has a reputation for being one of the tour’s most superstitious players.
It came as a major shock to the entire tour to add something to the wrist he uses for his backhand. Yes, the business has taken care of him, and his watch is worth millions of dollars. Since sportsmen are notoriously superstitious, it was a major risk to affix anything to his wrist when his career was at its height.
Are wristwatches worn by all tennis players?
Nadal’s watch is extremely lightweight and doesn’t appear to interfere with his playing style. Unfortunately, not everyone enjoys playing while wearing a wristwatch. For instance, Roger Federer exclusively dons his Rolex watch after the conclusion of games and at press briefings.
He wore the Datejust model following the 2009 Wimbledon championship, where he overcame Andy Roddick 16–14 in the decisive set to claim his 15th Grand Slam championship. Rolex claims that it is one of the most popular and beloved watches in the world.
Since 2014, Serena Williams has partnered with Audemars Piguet, and she frequently sports their timepieces when competing. Here is a great illustration of a match between two modern-day adversaries who are also contemporaries.
Not just because of their head-to-head record with Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams. Sharapova chooses to play without her Tag Heuer whereas Williams has chosen to wear her watch to the court.
What a tennis player receives in compensation for wearing watches
Although we don’t know the precise amount a tennis player is paid to wear the watches, we can make a rough approximation. We are certain that each one receives a different sum as a result of the various brand agreements.
As male professional tennis players, consider Rafael Nadel and Roger Federer. Roger Federer wore a Rolex GMT Master ll, which costs about $11,000, whereas Rafael Nadel wore a Richard Mille RM27-03, which costs $550,000.
Tennis players may make millions of dollars off their watch partnerships right there, and we know for sure who received the larger sponsored deal. The size of the audience you draw and the watch brand companies themselves will determine everything.
If I’m correct, Serena Williams wore an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Shore model, which retails for around $45k. However, given the circumstances surrounding her use in 2017, the price may rise.
We are unable to estimate the amount of money that tennis players receive, but we can estimate the value of the timepieces that they wear, which is almost always higher.
Roger Federer and Rolex
Since 2006, Roger Federer has represented Rolex. The Swiss champion was the first to win 20 Grand Slam titles, a distinction that helped make him famous. Roger always dons a Rolex when he celebrates a victory.
With a trophy raised above his head, every conceivable Rolex grail watch has been spotted on Roger’s wrist. The Rolex Datejust 41 with a “Wimbledon” dial is the timepiece that is most closely linked with him.
It reminds me of Wimbledon’s green meadows with its green Roman numeral dials. When Roger raised his 18th Grand Slam trophy in 2017, he also made a name for himself by donning a Rolex GMT-Master II Batman.
Batman’s black and blue bezel was prominently shown as Roger celebrated his victory on the blue Australian Open courts.
Do Watches Interfere With Tennis Play?
If you look closely at the timepieces tennis players wear, you’ll discover that the majority of them have leather or rubber bands. This is just my perspective based on what I’ve largely seen, but it provides a smooth lock on the hand while carrying little to no weight on the hand as well.
Wearing the watch on their less dominant hand is another frequent behavior observed in them. A player would prefer their career over a sponsored agreement if given the option of choosing between the two.
That statement merely means they would not wear in or take deals from the promoted dealers if the timepieces were interfering with their game. From my vantage point, it is evident that it doesn’t matter if it’s on their less dominant hand.
Some professional athletes decline deals for unknown reasons; it could be as simple as that they believe it will change the way their game. Additionally, some athletes use timepieces that are not sponsored, thus some wear them for fashion and some for financial gain.
Does Tennis Smart Watches Increase the Risk of Fraud?
This one is intriguing. To prevent fraud, at least one sporting organization recently outlawed the use of smartwatches while competing. Due to the potential for a rise in fixing, the England Cricket Board (or ECB) took this action to tighten anti-corruption safeguards.
The cricket governing body used to permit the use of smartwatches during play, but only under the condition that data transmission is turned off at those times. However, due to the growing popularity of live streaming domestic (i.e., non-international) matches, this rule has been changed.
Tennis has recently experienced issues with corruption as well. Analysts argue that match-fixing is widespread in the sport, and you don’t want smartwatches to make matters worse, particularly because even lower-level competitions like the Futures and Challengers are frequently available to stream and subject to wagers.
While a smartwatch with a health focus is a respectable choice, it is more challenging to check for corruption when the smartwatch has access to data or the internet. It’s important to keep an eye on this element because things can change in the future.
Conclusion
Thank you for taking the time to read our post about why tennis players wear watches. I hope you found it informative. Due to the popularity of tennis, it is understandable why so many upscale businesses like using the events to promote their pricey products.
Professional athletes benefit from marketing their sports apparel because more competitors would be showcasing their best and most expensive gear at a more significant competition.
FAQ’S
Tennis players wear timepieces out of habit or as a marketing gimmick. The most accomplished tennis players wear particular timepieces since several brands sponsor them.
Tennis pros don both fashion-forward and athletic timepieces. Nevertheless, wearing a sports watch is a smart choice because they are made for this use.
Tennis can be played while wearing a watch. But when it comes to the model you wear on the court, be sure to make a good choice. Additionally, you should be aware that there is still some risk there even with the best sports model.