Geneva, 15 May 2024 – The tennis clay-court season is in full swing, with its pinnacle tournament, Roland-Garros, taking place from Sunday 26 May–Sunday 9 June. Captivating rivalries are being forged at the top of the men’s and women’s game, while the next generation of players continue to make major breakthroughs. Among those preparing to tackle the red clay in Paris are several Rolex Testimonees, including this year’s Australian Open champion, Jannik Sinner, and fellow winners of elite 1000 series tournaments, Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Świątek and Stéfanos Tsitsipás.

Defending women’s champion Świątek is striving to lift the Suzanne-Lenglen trophy for a third consecutive year and fourth time overall. Discussing her approach to the event, Świątek says:

Rolex’s support for the world’s leading tennis tournaments dates back more than 40 years, to 1978, when the brand first became associated with The Championships, Wimbledon. The Swiss watchmaker completed the calendar Grand Slam® of partnerships in 2019, by becoming Official Timekeeper of Roland-Garros. The only one to be played on clay, the French Grand Slam® tournament has been synonymous with endurance and perseverance since its inception in 1891. This year’s edition marks a memorable milestone for two Rolex legends. It was 50 years ago, in 1974, that Chris Evert and Björn Borg arrived at Roland-Garros as teenagers and won their maiden Grand Slam® titles. With graceful strokes, magnetic style and composure under pressure, the new champions ushered in a golden era for tennis as the sport’s popularity reached unprecedented levels. Evert went on to achieve a record seven of her 18 women’s Grand Slam® singles titles at Roland-Garros, while Borg won all six men’s singles finals he contested there.

The Rolex Testimonee and 11-time Grand Slam® champion Borg reflects:

While recognizing the feats of these pioneering greats, Rolex continues to champion the current generation of players who push the boundaries of performance. Members of the Rolex family expected to challenge Świątek for the Roland-Garros title include Caroline Garcia, Coco Gauff and Qinwen Zheng. Meanwhile, in the men's draw, Holger Rune and Ben Shelton – who recently won his first clay-court event in Houston – are set to join Alcaraz, Sinner and Tsitsipás in aiming to lift the Musketeers' trophy for the first time. A physically demanding surface, clay creates a slower pace of play, higher bouncing balls and longer rallies, requiring immense skill and concentration if players are to make their mark.

Tsitsipás, the Greek clay-court specialist who last month won his third Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters title, says:

Denmark’s Rune adds: