The deal
The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) recently unveiled German car brand Mercedes-Benz as its new top-tier premier partner in a long-term deal beginning in 2026.
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The premier partner category will replace the organization’s title sponsor tier.
Mercedes-Benz will take over from the WTA’s current title sponsor, international medical device firm Hologic, which signed a four-year agreement in March 2022.
That deal saw the WTA secure a title partner for the first time since 2010 and represented the first major sports partnership for Hologic.
Global sports, music, and entertainment company Wasserman, through its US rights sales team, acted as sales agent to WTA Ventures through the deal process, with additional support provided by global sports marketing agency IMG.
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By GlobalDataWhy it matters
The long-term tie-up with Mercedes-Benz, running through 2035, has been described as “the most significant in WTA history.”
It represents the biggest commercial deal for WTA Ventures, which oversees the commercial and media rights operations of the women's tennis tour, since being formed in March 2023 as part of a strategic partnership between the organisation and the CVC Capital Partners fund.
The WTA and Mercedes-Benz view the partnership as a “powerful commitment to women’s tennis” and are seeking to use the tie-up to give women’s tennis “even greater visibility and accelerate its strong worldwide growth.”
Through the lucrative deal, Mercedes is championing women’s tennis in a significant way and follows its recent announcement of American star and world number three Coco Gauff as a brand ambassador, with more individual endorsement deals with players expected.
Conrad Wiacek, head of analysis and consulting at Sportcal (GlobalData Sport), comments: “By entering into a long-term, high-profile partnership with the WTA, Mercedes is committing to women's sport in a high-profile way. Already partnering with Coco Gauff and supporting individual tennis events such as the Berlin Open, Mercedes is utilizing the WTA to provide greater reach to its partnership portfolio and solidify its presence in women's sport through one of the truly all-female properties.
“While it still has a presence in men's sport through golf and American football, this move gives Mercedes a new avenue to reach a predominantly female audience. For women's sport in general, the partnership continues the trend of high-profile brands making tangible, long-term investments in women's sport, which continues the direction of travel to greater parity in terms of sponsorship investment.”
The deal continues the WTA’s strong growth momentum across the 2025 season, including the launch of a new brand identity and the award of the biggest ever prize money payout in the history of both professional tennis and women’s sport (awarded to Elena Rybakina, singles champion at the 2025 WTA Finals).
The details
The women’s circuit will be known commercially as the ‘WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz’ from January 1, with the car manufacturer investing $50 million per year in women’s tennis for up to 10 years.
The new Mercedes-Benz agreement will represent an increase over the Hologic deal, valued by GlobalData Sport at around $20 million per year, which was previously reported to be the largest global sponsorship in WTA history.
Mercedes-Benz will additionally serve as the WTA’s exclusive automobile partner and have a presence at WTA 1000, 500, and 250 tournaments, with net sponsor exclusivity across all events.
The brand will be visible at approximately 30 tournaments in 2026, with more planned from 2027, and will debut on the net post sign at the Abu Dhabi Open, as well as the Ostrava Open in the Czech Republic, from January 31 to February 7, 2026. Mercedes will also supply vehicles for WTA events.
