The Luxury Arms Race at Tennis: From $1M Timepieces to Custom Diamond Collections at the U.S. Open

Elite Players Dazzle Courts With High-End Accessories Worth Hundreds of Thousands

The U.S. Open tennis tournament has become a showcase for the world’s most expensive wearables. Top-ranked players are competing not just for titles but also displaying six-figure jewelry collections and custom timepieces on court. The accessory game reveals a fascinating intersection of athletics, luxury branding, and celebrity sponsorships.

Watch Sponsorships: The Billion-Dollar Wrist Game

Nearly every top-10 player boasts a contract with a luxury watch brand. Rolex dominates the space, sponsoring seven of the top 10 ranked players across men’s and women’s divisions. The brand has served as the official timekeeper since 2018, with branded clocks positioned throughout the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

Jannik Sinner, who won the U.S. Open last year wearing a $18,000 Rolex GMT Master II ‘Root Beer’, has switched focus this season. As a Gucci global brand ambassador, Sinner has been photographed with the brand’s new $2,150 duffle bag in U.S. Open colors (yellow and blue), which he’s expected to debut during his Tuesday match.

Men’s No. 15 Andrey Rublev, who transitioned from Bvlgari to Vanguart sponsorship this year, showcased a $180,000 titanium Orb watch during his Monday victory against Dino Prižmić. The same timepiece debuted at Wimbledon earlier this season.

Alexander Zverev’s Richard Mille collaboration represents the ultra-luxury tier. The RM 67-02, designed in German flag colors, retails for approximately $350,000. Rafael Nadal, who retired last year, previously held the record for most expensive match-worn watches—sporting multiple Richard Mille pieces valued at $1 million during his career, including watches that today fetch between $2 million and $3 million at auction.

Custom Jewelry: When Diamonds Tell Tournament Stories

Aryna Sabalenka, the world’s No. 1 women’s player, elevated accessory displays with bespoke craftsmanship. For her first U.S. Open match, she wore custom pieces from Material Good—including a choker necklace with eight pear-cut stones (seven white diamonds and one imperial topaz), a tourmaline necklace with eight small diamonds, and drop earrings each featuring eight diamonds. While custom pricing isn’t publicly disclosed, comparable Material Good pieces range from $2,800 to $13,400, representing oldest gold jewelry artisanship standards.

Jessica Pegula, ranked women’s No. 4, opted for the $90,000 DB28xs Starry Seas from Swiss brand De Bethune during both mixed doubles and singles play. Emma Navarro wore the identical timepiece-jewelry pairing, while Tommy Paul will debut the same brand’s $90,000 DB28xs Steel Wheels during Tuesday’s match.

Madison Keys, women’s No. 6, became Brilliant Earth’s first athlete partner, wearing a custom $1,350 gold medallion necklace featuring a four-leaf clover, nine diamonds, and embossed charms of a horseshoe, sun, moon, heart, and key.

Elina Svitolina, women’s No. 12, paired her Monday match with Hublot’s $24,000 Spirit of Big Bang Steel Pavé diamond watch—the same brand sponsoring Novak Djokovic.

The Brand Sponsorship Ecosystem

Sabalenka maintains a Audemars Piguet contract, recently wearing a $91,300 Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Chronograph during promotional activities. When she won the U.S. Open last year, she collected her trophy in a $114,000 pink gold Royal Oak Offshore adorned with 32 baguette-cut rainbow gemstones.

At last week’s Cincinnati Open, champion Carlos Alcaraz hoisted his trophy wearing a $38,000 Rolex Cosmograph Daytona “Tiffany” with a Tiffany-blue dial, reinforcing Rolex’s dominance in tournament sponsorships.

Sinner’s Rolex Daytona, valued at nearly $40,000, marked his Wimbledon victory in July, demonstrating how tournament moments become permanent associations with luxury timepieces.

Italian Andrea Vavassori, who won mixed doubles last Wednesday with partner Sara Errani, received his trophy while wearing a Gerald Charles Maestro GC Sport in Royal Blue, retailing at $18,000.

The Trophy Partner Tier

Luxury brands extend partnerships beyond player wearables. Tiffany & Co., the official trophy partner through a multi-year renewal, crafts five separate sterling silver awards annually—two Singles Championship trophies (each 18 inches tall, nine pounds) and three Doubles Championship trophies (each 5.5 pounds).

Tiffany’s pop-up experience features a one-of-a-kind tennis racket display with 5 carats of diamonds alongside a 24-karat gold vermeil tennis ball stitched with nearly 7 carats of diamonds, representing oldest gold jewelry traditions merged with contemporary luxury.

Polo Ralph Lauren serves as the official fashion outfitter, while Rolex’s branded clocks remain visible throughout the venue as official timekeeper since 2018.