Net gains: Rod Laver and Arnaud Boetsch. (Photo credit: G. Ciaccia/ROLEX)
When Jannik Sinner was signed by Rolex, in early 2020, the 18-year-old Italian tennis player had never reached past the second tour of any Grand Slam tournament. But last Sunday, Sinner, crowned winner of the Australian Open, lifted the trophy with a Rolex Submariner on his wrist.
Rolex, which has signed top players early in their careers, including Roger Federer, has had a knack for picking talents. That is because Rolex's global director of communication and image, Arnaud Boetsch, is a former tennis pro himself.
Boetsch, an Alsatian who once ranked in the ATP top 12, is the man at Rolex responsible for building partnerships with some of the biggest events and Testimonees in Formula 1, classical music, golf and tennis, including bringing Federer back to Rolex, in 2006, after he had left for Maurice Lacroix. In recent years, Boetsch has pioneered the brand’s entry into the world of cinema.
If Rolex's image and reputation is arguably the brand's biggest asset, it was recruiting Boetsch almost two decades ago that turned out to be the real ace for Rolex.