Coco Gauff sponsor inks eye-popping $500 million | Sports News

The WTA Tour has unveiled a main long-term partnership with Mercedes-Benz, reportedly valued at $500 million. The announcement follows carefully on the heels of world No. 3 Coco Gauff inking her own deal to function a world model ambassador for the German car producer.

The settlement, which is able to set up Mercedes-Benz because the WTA’s Premier Partner and Exclusive Automobile Partner beginning in 2026, was revealed during a Wednesday presentation on the Mercedes-Benz museum in Stuttgart, attended by Billie Jean King and Roger Federer, whereas Gauff participated remotely through video call. Former WTA participant Andrea Petkovic moderated the occasion, joined by Mercedes-Benz representatives Mathias Geisen and Christina Schenck, WTA Ventures CEO Marina Storti, and WTA Chair Valerie Camillo.

According to City AM, the collaboration is set to span a decade with a six-year break clause inbuilt, producing £37.5M ($50M) yearly. This represents a important improve from the WTA’s prior association with medical technology firm Hologic, which the Mercedes-Benz partnership is changing and was reportedly valued $20M per 12 months. It comes as Nick Kyrgios has landed a new sponsor for the “Battle of the Sexes” exhibition match after his Nike deal ended.

During Wednesday’s digital look, newly appointed model ambassador Gauff remarked: “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. I’m super excited for the next few years, breaking boundaries and pushing our sport in a great direction.

“I believe it is 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 tremendous particular and I believe Mercedes-Benz and WTA partnering collectively are proving that the desires of younger women in sports activities are value investing in, and I believe for a long time, girls’s sports activities had been perhaps pushed to the aspect or perhaps not seen in the way in which 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.”

Billie Jean King, one of the ‘Original Nine’ who established the WTA Tour because it exists immediately, shared with attendees: “I think what we stood for, when I founded the WTA, the dream was that any girl born in this world, if she were good enough, would have a place to compete, also that she would be appreciated for her accomplishments, not only her looks.

“And the third one which we talked about and had a dream, that they might have the ability to play skilled tennis – they might have a place to compete and have the ability to make a dwelling.”

Federer, who has represented Mercedes-Benz for nearly two decades, was also present at the Stuttgart launch. “I had been on the tour for thus long and Billie, every thing you’ve got performed has resonated in a main manner for me. As you understand, I like the previous of tennis, I like who has paved the way in which for me personally, for us basically,” he said.

“My spouse was on tour, so once I received the call they usually requested me, ‘Would you perhaps come?’ I used to be like, ‘I’m in, I’m coming’. Because that is such a, perhaps a pivotal second, and important second, within the WTA historical past, to signal long-term offers is just not one thing that all the time comes round simply, particularly not with unimaginable manufacturers like Mercedes-Benz that I’ve had the prospect and the luck to signify for a very long time as nicely.”

The announcement arrives just weeks after Elena Rybakina secured the largest prize in women’s sports history at the WTA Finals in Riyadh, taking home $5.2M after an undefeated championship run.

Starting next year, Mercedes-Benz will have a presence at WTA 1000, 500, and 250 tournaments, working to deliver distinctive experiences for players, fans, and guests. The partnership will also support the women’s tour in reaching their objective of equal prize money at combined ATP-WTA events by 2027, and across all tournaments by 2033.

Storti, the CEO of WTA Ventures, expressed: “We are actually excited to welcome Mercedes-Benz because the Premier Partner of the WTA Tour. This long-term partnership represents a shared imaginative and prescient and a highly effective dedication to the long run of girls’s tennis, and we look ahead to working collectively to grow the game.”