French Open 2026 champions and their watches: How Boris Becker’s Ebel and Rafael Nadal’s Richard Mille made horology a highlight on today’s tennis courts

Long before Rafael Nadal’s Richard Mille tourbillons became fixtures on the world’s biggest tennis courts, Boris Becker was already competing with an Ebel strapped to his wrist.

During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Becker, along with fellow stars Stefan Edberg and Andre Agassi, helped normalise what was then an unusual sight: professional tennis players wearing watches during matches. Their Ebel Sport Classic models were sporty quartz pieces rather than delicate mechanical complications, but they established an important precedent: Luxury watches no longer had to wait for the trophy presentation.

Yet it was Nadal who transformed the concept entirely.

When Richard Mille unveiled its first watch for the recently retired King of Clay in 2010, many assumed a tourbillon movement could never survive the incredible G-forces generated by elite tennis. Instead, Nadal won Grand Slams while wearing the watches in competition, proving that high horology could be engineered for genuine sporting performance.

The latest expression of that philosophy is the RM 35-03 Automatic Rafael Nadal, nicknamed the Baby Nadal, featuring the patented butterfly rotor system that allows the wearer to adjust the winding efficiency of the movement.

Today, the sight of a timepiece on court is quite commonplace, and tennis watchmaking is becoming a thing. What began with Becker’s Ebel and reached new heights through Nadal’s Richard Mille has evolved into a defining aspect of modern tennis sponsorship.

Roland-Garros 2026 offered the latest chapter in that story, with champions and finalists wearing everything from skeletonised sports watches to flying tourbillons and classic dress watches.

French Open 2026 Men’s Singles Champion: Alexander Zverev

After years of coming agonisingly close, Alexander Zverev finally captured his first Grand Slam title in Paris. Throughout his championship run, the German wore the Jacob & Co. Epic X Skeleton in black titanium. The lightweight model is built around a skeletonised architecture that removes unnecessary material while exposing the movement’s inner workings, making it particularly suited to athletic use.

For the trophy ceremony, however, Zverev changed watches. As he accepted the Coupe des Mousquetaires, he wore the Epic X Ceramic, a 44mm limited edition of just 101 pieces. Crafted in white ceramic and powered by the manually wound skeletonised JCAM02 calibre, it features Jacob & Co’s signature vertically aligned barrel and balance-wheel layout, visible through the openworked construction.

The pairing neatly reflected modern sports-watch culture: one watch for the battle, another for the celebration.

French Open 2026 Men’s Singles Runner-Up: Flavio Cobolli

Although he finished runner-up, Flavio Cobolli emerged as one of the breakout stars of the tournament. The Italian, nicknamed Il Gladiatore (The Gladiator in Italian) by his nation’s press, reached his maiden Grand Slam final while wearing a Bianchet UltraFino Tonneau on court. Far from being a symbolic accessory, the watch is a serious piece of technical engineering.

The automatic flying tourbillon from the Swiss independent manufacture is housed within a high-density carbon case weighing just 46g including the strap, while its anti-shock architecture is designed to withstand impacts of up to 5,000G.

Cobolli has worn Bianchet throughout the season, including tournaments in Melbourne, Miami, Madrid, and Rome. At Roland-Garros, the UltraFino Tonneau accompanied him through every round and onto Court Philippe-Chatrier for the biggest match of his career.

That a flying tourbillon can survive the physical demands of modern professional tennis says much about how far sports watchmaking has progressed since the days of Becker’s Ebel.

French Open 2026 Women’s Singles Champion: Mirra Andreeva

At just 19 years old, Mirra Andreeva became the women’s singles champion, securing her first Grand Slam title with a commanding performance on Court Philippe-Chatrier. The victory made her the latest member of Rolex’s remarkable roster of Roland-Garros champions, which includes Chris Evert, Roger Federer, Iga Swiatek, Carlos Alcaraz and Coco Gauff.

For the trophy presentation, Andreeva wore a Rolex Oyster Perpetual Lady-Datejust, a fittingly elegant choice for a player celebrating the biggest achievement of her career.

Unlike the ultra-light technical watches increasingly favoured by players during competition, the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Lady-Datejust represents a classic expression of luxury watchmaking. Its appearance on the podium served as a reminder that while sports watches dominate match play, the trophy ceremony remains one of watchmaking’s most powerful stages.

Rolex’s relationship with tennis stretches back nearly half a century, and Andreeva’s victory ensured the Swiss brand remained at the heart of another defining moment in the sport’s history.

French Open 2026 Mixed Doubles Champion: Andrea Vavassori

Italian doubles specialist Andrea Vavassori continued his outstanding season by capturing the mixed doubles title alongside compatriot Sara Errani. Throughout his Roland-Garros campaign, Vavassori wore the Gerald Charles Maestro 3.0 Chronograph Clay, a model inspired by the colours and atmosphere of the clay-court season.

The watch’s textured brown dial echoes the distinctive tones of Roland-Garros’ famed terre battue courts, while its uniquely contoured case traces its lineage back to designs by Gerald Genta.

The victory came shortly after Vavassori’s success at the Italian Open in Rome and further cemented his reputation as one of the world’s elite doubles players. For Gerald Charles, the partnership demonstrates how independent watchmakers are increasingly finding their place alongside the sport’s biggest names.