Monday, November 27, 2017

Watch Spotting at the Davis Cup



Watch Spotting 

at the Davis Cup


 By DANNY CRIVELLO           



France on Sunday won its 10th Davis Cup after a suspenseful 3-to-2 victory over Belgium in the yearly international team tournament in tennis. I was in France during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend and could feel the excitement first hand. Bars and bistros, which usually have soccer games on the television, now were tuned to the Davis Cup.

While most were following the small yellow ball, I noticed that French players waiting on the bench were wearing Rolex watches. As a tennis fan who grew up in France when Yannick Noah won Roland Garros, I was happy to see him as the captain of the team... wearing a Daytona!


I still play today, and I love Rolex also because it's a leader in tennis sponsorship, a tie-in that will mark its 40th anniversary next year. 

Not only the Rolex brand graces the tennis courts during Wimbledon, the Australia Open, Shanghai Masters, Monte Carlo Masters, the Laver Cup, the NITTO ATP Finals and Indian Wells. But a Rolex timepiece also graces the wrists of the best tennis athletes like Roger Federer or, below, French player Jo-Wilfried Tsonga who sports a 41-mm Datejust at the Davis Cup Sunday.


But the real hero is Lucas Pouille who sealed the victory for France in a three-set match against Belgian Steve Darcis. After a 16-year Davis Cup title drought, France is finally bringing the Davis Cup home! Like his team captain, he wears the very cool, very masculine Rolex Daytona.


Lucas Pouille is not a Rolex brand ambassador like Roger Federer or Jo-Wilfried Tsonga but his white dial, ceramic Daytona never left his wrist during the tournament.