The WTA Tour and Mercedes-Benz have agreed to a historic deal believed to be worth over £375 million, with Billie Jean King labelling it as ‘the most important deal in our (WTA Tour) history.’
The deal, which was announced at the Mercedes-Benz museum in Stuttgart, will see Mercedes-Benz become WTA’s Premier Partner and Exclusive Automobile Partner – starting from January 1 2026.
Whilst there is no iron-clad commitment, the agreement is expected to run for ten years, with a six-year break clause allowing one or both parties to leave after the mandated period.
Remarkably, the deal with worth £35.5 million per year, with the WTA Tour’s previous partnership with medical technology company Hologic rumoured to have stood at £15 million per year.
Just a few days prior to the partnership being announced, world No 3 Coco Gauff was named as a global ambassador for Mercedes-Benz.
“The partnership with Mercedes-Benz feels super special to me, and I would like to thank you guys for supporting women’s tennis and their ambitions,” stated the American, who spoke via video link during the WTA-Mercedes-Benz event.
“I’m super excited for the next few years, breaking boundaries and pushing our sport in a great direction.
“I think it’s so cool and an important partnership for our sport. To see how far our sport has come to have a partnership with Mercedes-Benz is super special and I think Mercedes-Benz and WTA partnering together are proving that the dreams of young girls in sports are worth investing in.
“I think for a long time, women’s sports were maybe pushed to the side or maybe not seen in the way as our male counterparts.
“But for Mercedes-Benz to do this and also, not only invest in our sport, but invest in someone like me, a woman of colour, is super inspiring and I’m looking forward to this partnership with them through the WTA and also with me individually.”
Thanks to deals with companies such as New Balance, Rolex, Head, and Emirates, Gauff was the highest-paid female athlete for a third consecutive year, with off-court earnings hovering around £20 million.
The Mercedes-Benz global ambassadorship will only further her off-court earnings empire.
Roger Federer, who has been a global ambassador for Mercedez-Benz for over 20 years, appeared at the event in Stuttgart – endorsing the historic partnership.
“The partnership with Mercedes-Benz feels super special to me, and I would like to thank you guys for supporting women’s tennis and their ambitions,” remarked the 20-time Grand Slam champion.
“I’m super excited for the next few years, breaking boundaries and pushing our sport in a great direction.
“I think it’s so cool and an important partnership for our sport.
“To see how far our sport has come to have a partnership with Mercedes-Benz is super special and I think Mercedes-Benz and WTA partnering together are proving that the dreams of young girls in sports are worth investing in, and I think for a long time, women’s sports were maybe pushed to the side or maybe not seen in the way as our male counterparts.
“But for Mercedes-Benz to do this and also, not only invest in our sport, but invest in someone like me, a woman of colour, is super inspiring and I’m looking forward to this partnership with them through the WTA and also with me individually.”
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Billie Jean King, who founded the WTA as the association’s first president, was also in attendance at the event and gave her highly-valued endorsement – despite not being an ambassador for the car company.
“Our mission statement when we founded the WTA was that any girl born in this world, if she was good enough, would have a place to compete, be respected and make a living playing tennis,” said the 39-time Grand Slam champion.
“This is a real partnership and Mercedes are in it for the long term.
“Seeing a brand like that stand with us sends a message that echoes far beyond tennis.”
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