Mercedes-Benz will become the Tour’s Premier Partner starting in 2026<\/a>, a multi-year commitment covering about 30 tournaments in its first season.<\/p>\nMercedes-Benz executive Mathias Geisen outlined the vision behind the collaboration, speaking with an enthusiasm that felt rooted in the sport as much as the brand.<\/p>\n
\u201cTennis is really fascinating,\u201d he said, noting the athletes\u2019 discipline and drive.<\/p>\n
He described the partnership as an opportunity to \u201clift it to new heights,\u201d underscoring the company\u2019s aspirations in elevating the fan and player experiences across the calendar.<\/p>\n
On the WTA side, the alignment was immediate.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor us to partner with a brand that is generally iconic and trusted,” WTA Ventures CEO Marina Storti said. “These are values that we share deeply.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She pointed to the \u201cextraordinary commercial momentum\u201d behind women\u2019s tennis and a shared goal of expanding reach, investment and visibility for players and fans alike.<\/p>\n
Coco Gauff, joining remotely ahead of offseason training, stepped in with a perspective drawn from her own experience on tour.<\/p>\n
WTA and Mercedes-Benz join forces for a new chapter<\/p>\n
\u201cMercedes-Benz and WTA partnering together are proving\u00a0that the dreams of young girls in sports are worth investing in,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Her next line captured the personal significance of the relationship: \u201cTo invest in someone like me, a woman of color, is super inspiring.\u201d<\/p>\n
A collaboration grounded in history<\/p>\n
While the conversation focused on the future, earlier chapters surfaced repeatedly. Geisen noted that Mercedes-Benz will celebrate its 140th anniversary next year, nearly overlapping with the birth of modern tennis.<\/p>\n
Billie Jean King, sitting in the audience, immediately picked up the thread: \u201cKarl Benz [the engineer behind the first automobile] — I think it\u2019s 1886. And then guess who Mercedes is? His daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was a quick aside, but it landed with the neat symmetry the occasion seemed to invite.<\/p>\n
King then widened the lens.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe dream was that any girl born in this world, if she were good enough, would have a place to compete,\u201d she said, recalling the founding purpose of the WTA. She emphasized the progress — and the work — behind that dream, noting that early players fought not only for opportunity, but for recognition and the ability to earn a sustainable living.<\/p>\n
Federer added his own sense of continuity, reflecting on how the WTA\u2019s impact had shaped his understanding of the sport long before he entered the room in Stuttgart. He spoke directly to King, acknowledging how her work \u201calways resonated in a major way\u201d for him and how much he valued the groundwork that paved the way for his own career. He also pointed to the personal ties that kept the women\u2019s game close — his wife, Mirka, spent years on tour, and his daughters now play as well.<\/p>\n
When the conversation turned to Mercedes-Benz, Federer offered another thread of connection. He recalled seeing the brand\u2019s star on nets and tournament cars early in his career. \u201cI felt good,\u201d he said with a grin. \u201cThat\u2019s kind of our home away from home as we travel so much around the globe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Together, these details helped frame the new partnership, a milestone forged by decades of work.<\/p>\n
The heart of the moment<\/p>\n
Responsibility surfaced throughout the discussion — sometimes directly, and sometimes between the lines. King articulated it most clearly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need the players [to] understand what they have,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s so important to support, and do their interviews, and do all the things you\u2019re supposed to do \u2026 to help the game grow.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mercedes-Benz positioned responsibility in terms of influence. \u201cSport \u2026 is really about connecting people,\u201d said Christina Schenck, Vice President Digital & Communications and Head of Investor Relations. Schenck emphasized the chance to highlight role models and inspire younger athletes. She spoke of elevating the stories and personalities that bring depth to the tour.<\/p>\n
Valerie Camillo, the newly appointed WTA Chair, built on that idea, noting that Mercedes\u2019 longstanding mantra — the best or nothing — aligned naturally with the WTA\u2019s foundation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the same values that Billie had in mind with the Original 9,\u201d she said, pointing to the shared expectations from both parties.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A day defined by its human exchanges<\/p>\n
The event often felt most alive in the unscripted moments between the formal remarks. Petkovic slipped in a string of off-script remarks, Geisen poked fun at himself as \u201can incredibly bad tennis player,\u201d Gauff joked about needing a full warm-up at her age, and 20-time Grand Slam champion Federer laughed when Petkovic called his name, nodding as she briefly feigned confusion about who sat before her. Even King paused to admire the comfort and design of the cars she\u2019d been riding in over the past couple of days.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Those small detours gave the room its looseness and made the exchange feel more like a shared conversation than a staged announcement. The back and forth also showed why the partnership resonated on both sides. Mercedes-Benz spoke about role models, visibility and long-term investment; the WTA emphasized opportunity, reach and the history that laid its foundation.<\/p>\n
Fittingly, it was Petkovic who ended on a clean final note: \u201cA beautiful partnership, a new journey on the path of women\u2019s tennis.\u201d<\/p>\n
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