Roger Federer and $8 billion worth luxury watch brand Rolex go a long way back. Over the years, we have seen the Swiss Maestro flaunting his luxurious editions of the brand, be it a high-profile tennis match or a celebrity event. Like Federer, another legendary name in the sport, Serena Williams, has also been the brand ambassador of the $2 billion Swiss watch brand, Audemars Piguet. The two players have been long-time partners of their respective brands. Considering the intense competition that exists between the two luxury watch brands, it is only natural that a smidgen of that competitiveness seeps into its brand sponsors as well. In one of her recent exclusive interviews, Serena addressed the same while giving her reasons for choosing Audemars Piguet.

An indirect competition between Serena Williams and Roger Federer

The two tennis legends bid the sport farewell in the same year. However, throughout their celebrated careers, the two only went against each other at the 2019 Hopman Cup. Now, the two are indirectly continuing the competition between them through their luxury watch brands.

Serena Williams joined hands with Audemars Piguet back in 2014 and since then, she has loved working with the brand. The luxury watch is close to her heart, as she stated the same in her interview with Marie Claire. She stated, “When I studied the DNA better, I appreciated the brand even more.”

She even went to Switzerland to see the manufacturing of the watches and she loved the personalized mechanism. Williams stated, “Every single person who works on every single element that makes up a single watch is linked, deeply interconnected.”

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Despite being a stalwart of an individual sport, she appreciated the teamwork behind the making of the watch. Therefore, she stated, “It’s really amazing how the excellent result is combined thanks to powerful teamwork.” 

On the other hand, Federer joined hands with Rolex back in 2011. Since then, it has become the highlight of every huge achievement in his life. We saw him wearing limited editions at the centenary celebration of Wimbledon last year as well as at this year’s Met Gala.

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The two tennis legends are now leading an indirect competitive battle through their luxury watch brand partners. Such off-court collaborations have made the two become a part of the list of the Top 50 highest-paid athletes.

Can off-court sponsorships affect budding young players like Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek?

It is a fact that in 2022, the two hardly played enough on the court to earn considerable prize money. The majority of their income has come from their off-court earnings. It played a crucial role in securing both Federer and Serena a place in Forbes’ top 50 highest paid athletes in the world.

On the other hand, their active counterparts, like Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, could not feature on that list. Another concern is that WTA players like Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff, despite having impressive seasons, have found it difficult in rising their earnings because of the lack of off-court sponsorships.

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Do you think prize money should increase or off-court sponsorships should have some parity? Let us know your views in the comments below.