Wimbledon, the world's oldest and most prestigious tennis tournament has started this week. The tournament was founded in 1877 and in 1978, Rolex came on board as the Official Timekeeper on Centre Court and across all of the All England Club grounds. This partnership works perfectly as Wimbledon represents excellence and Rolex stands for precision, performance and the hunt for perfection. 
Rolex has been associated with sport for some time, in 1927 Mercedes Gleitze wore a waterproof Rolex Oyster as she swam the English Channel, she also happened to be the first Englishwoman to do this whilst wearing the world's first waterproof wristwatch. Gleitze became the first Rolex Testimonee, a title given to sports personalities and other stars whose accomplishments reflect the same attitude to that of Rolex watches. Rolex is now partnered with tournaments across the world including motor sports, major golfing. sailing and equestrian events as well as tennis.
The man that is considered to be the greatest ever Tennis Champion, Roger Federer, personifies the search for sporting perfection. He became a Rolex Testimonee in 2001 and then two years later he achieved his unforgettable Grand Slam, winning the first of seven Wimbledon titles. Federer has won a record 18 Slams between 2003 and 2017. He was ranked by the ATP as men's world number one for a record-breaking 302 weeks, which is more than any other player in history.
There are many memorable games that Federer has played in, including the Wimbledon final from 2009 where he defeated Andy Roddick in a great match where the last set was played to the score of 16-14. When Federer finally won the game, he was, of course, wearing his Rolex. He has previously said that, "When I look at it, I remember that day very vividly. It's a watch I look back and share memories with."
Federer is not the only tennis player to be associated with Rolex. He is one of many high rank players, of men and women, who are partnered with the watch company. Other tennis stars involved are Angelique Kerber, who was previously ranked number one in the women's game, previous US Open winner Juan Martin Del Potro, Milos Raonic, Grigor Dimitrov, Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki.
Rolex doesn't just associate with Wimbledon, it also supports the following major tennis tournaments: Australian Open, the first grand slam of the year, the ATP World Tour and the ENP Paris WTA Finals Singapore. It also sponsors the Davis Cup and tournaments like the Monte-Carlo Masters, the Shanghai Rolex Masters and a range of other Masters 1000 competitions.
So if you are following the Wimbledon tournament this year, keep an eye out for the stunning Rolex timepieces worn by the many talented players. And if you are looking at investing in a Rolex for yourself, you can view our collection here
