Inside the WTA-Mercedes-Benz Deal backed by Coco Gauff & Roger Federer: Terms, Impact, and Timeline

The WTA Tour will enter a new era from 2026. The women's tour will be sponsored by automobile giant Mercedes-Benz in a landmark multi-year deal starting from next year. The move indicates confidence in the WTA Tour, backed by consistent performances by its star players such as Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka, and Iga Swiatek, among others.

The announcement of the new deal took place in Stuttgart, Germany. Gauff, who was recently announced as the brand ambassador for Mercedes-Benz, dropped in virtually. She was excited for this new partnership, and added that the deal sends a message to young girls that their future is worth investing in.

"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," Gauff said.

"I think it’s so cool and an important partnership for our sport," Coco Gauff continued. "To see how far our sport has come to have a partnership with Mercedes-Benz is super special and I think Mercedes-Benz and WTA partnering together are proving that the dreams of young girls in sports are worth investing in, and I think for a long time, women’s sports were maybe pushed to the side or maybe not seen in the way as our male counterpart," she continued.

Roger Federer, meanwhile, attended the event in person. He has been an ambassador for Mercedes-Benz for close to two decades now. He acknowledged the significance of this deal, commenting that a commitment on this level is hard to come by.

"My wife used to be on Tour, so when I got the call and they asked me, ‘Would you maybe come?’ I was like, ‘I’m in, I’m coming’," Roger Federer said. "Because this is such a, maybe a pivotal moment, and important moment, in the WTA history, to sign long-term deals is not something that always comes around easily, especially not with incredible brands like Mercedes-Benz that I’ve had the chance and the luck to represent for a very long time as well," Federer said.

With two of the most well-known names in the sport fully on board with the deal, here's a quick breakdown of the terms of the partnership and the timeline of the same:

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WTA Tour & Mercedes-Benz Deal: Terms, Impact, & Timeline

Coco Gauff at the Wuhan Open 2025. (Photo: Getty)

The WTA Tour will bring on board Mercedes-Benz as the tour's Premier Partner and Exclusive Automobile Partner starting from 2026. The German car manufacturer will be present across all WTA 1000, 500, and 250 events.

Mercedes-Benz will invest $50 million per year into the WTA Tour for up to 10 years. This investment dwarfs the one made by the tour's current sponsor, Hologic. The medical technology company became the main sponsor of the women's tour in 2022, pouring $20 million per year into the sport. Their contract will conclude in December 2025.

The massive investment made by Mercedes-Benz is the biggest in the history of the WTA Tour, as well as across all women's sports. This partnership will help the women's tour achieve the goal of equal prize money at combined events by 2027, and across all other events by 2033.

Even though the partnership kicks off from January 2026 itself, the Mercedes-Benz logo won't be seen on the net post sign until February. The company's logo will make its debut in the first week of February, when it will be seen on the net during the Abu Dhabi Open and the Ostrava Open.

This isn't Mercedes-Benz's first foray into tennis. It previously sponsored the ATP Tour from 1996 to 2008. They have also served as one of the US Open's key sponsors since 2010. This union between the automobile giant and the women's tour promises to take the sport to the next level.

The diversity of stars on the women's tours, in terms of personality, game play, along with a stellar supporting cast, has turned the WTA Tour into a steady and marketable product. The investment from Mercedes-Benz should help them shore up the current infrastructure, eliminate uncertainties, and make it accessible to one and all.