A look at who sponsors the tennis grand slams and the lessons for anyone selling sponsorship or the insights teams that support them
caytoo has looked at who sponsors the four Grand Slams to spot the patterns: which types of brands tend to get involved, and where there might be new opportunities in the future.
The sponsorship landscape
The biggest events in tennis continue to be dominated by established, blue-chip brands and familiar categories. Alcohol, watches, banks, airlines and automotive are the backbone of Grand Slam sponsorship portfolios. In fact, Food & Beverage, Financial Services and Consumer Goods now account for around 60% of all Grand Slam sponsors, underlining just how conventional the category mix still is.
The full report suggests what categories they may want to consider in terms of branching out.
The value of tradition
Many Grand Slam partners stay for decades, creating long‑term value for both sides. IBM has been a Wimbledon partner for 45 years; BNP Paribas has been tied to Roland‑Garros for over half a century. Indeed, the average deal length across the main partners is likely to surprise you.
This contrasts sharply with more volatile sports such as football or Formula 1, where sponsor turnover is far higher due to shifting team performance and short‑term brand strategies.
Domestic vs Global: How the Slams compare
Grand Slams tend to work more with domestic brands than other global events. Around 40% of sponsors across Wimbledon, the French Open and the US Open are based in the host country.
The Australian Open is different, with the majority of its sponsors coming from overseas. This shows there is clear opportunity for the other slams to grow their sponsor base internationally, particularly by looking towards brands based in Asia and the Middle East.
Chart available in full report.
Most popular categories among the Grand Slam partner portfolio
When looking at who sponsors the tennis grand slams, Alcohol and Soft Drinks lead the way, helped by the big on‑site audiences and the natural fit with hospitality and fan experiences.
From a simple “what’s missing?” point of view, one clear observation is that some big industries you often see in wider tennis sponsorship don’t appear as much at the Grand Slams. These ‘underperforming’ areas are ones the slams could target for new growth in the future.
Full chart available in full report.
Why brands choose tennis
Grand Slam sponsors typically cite brand awareness and values alignment as key drivers, but tennis performs differently compared with other rights holders. These differences – and the supporting data – are explored in greater depth in the full ‘Tennis Grand Slams’ Sponsorship Analysis’ report, including how sponsorship motivations vary between tennis partnerships and other sponsorship environments.
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