Tennis and luxury watches go hand in hand. Federer sports a Rolex during press conferences or when touting a new trophy on-court. Wimbledon is sponsored by Rolex. Few tennis players, however, wear their watches while playing.
UPDATE: Nadal’s Watch Stolen!
Rafael Nadal breaks the mold, however, and sports a $525,000 Richard Mille Tourbillon while playing (as does Olympic sprinter Yohan Blake). Nadal and his watch first made headlines in 2010. Adding any weight to the body in a balance-intensive sport like tennis can change players’ games dramatically. This is especially true in key areas like the wrist: unless one is volleying, tennis requires a great deal of wrist movement.
Richard Mille worked with Nadal to create a watch that would meet his stringent requirements. The result was the extremely light RM 027, weighing in at a mere 20 grams (lighter than a typical swatch watch). The watch doesn’t seem to have affected Nadal’s playing over the last two years – he’s currently ranked #2 in the world.
Nadal and his RM 027 in the Finals of Wimbeldon 2010. (Reuters)
Yesterday, Rafa upset the 12 seed, fellow Spaniard Nicolas Almagro. Almagro proved to be Nadal’s toughest opponent yet. The two battled over one hour for their first set, which culminated with a close tie break. The final score was 7-6 (4), 6-2, 6-3. Nadal will face Ferrer in the French Open semifinals. More pictures of Nadal and his RM 027 in the 2012 French Open after the break.
Images from Nadal News.
For more sports-related watch news, check out the following:
- Did you know Mickey Mantle took batting practice with a Timex strapped to his bat? [pics inside]
- Asia Series of the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo Finishes
- American Olympians and their Watches
- TAG Heuer Carrera Monaco Grand Prix Limited Edition
- Bremont Skydiver Lands Safely Without Parachute
- Usain Bolt’s Watch Runs Just As Fast As Yours
- Maria Sharapova Wins Italian Open
- Video: Aerial View of Bubba Watson’s Shot On #10
- Bubba Watson’s Watch
