Ralph Lauren became the official apparel sponsor of the US Open tennis tournament in 2005.
The partnership was announced by the United States Tennis Association and Polo Ralph Lauren in March 2005. It was structured as a four-year global agreement running through 2008, making Ralph Lauren responsible for a highly visible part of the tournament’s presentation.
The brand designed apparel for on-court officials, including umpires, line judges and ball persons. It also established a retail presence at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center and created co-branded merchandise connected with the tournament. The arrangement linked Lauren’s polished sportswear image with one of the world’s best-known tennis events.
The other Grand Slam tournaments can cause confusion because Ralph Lauren later developed relationships with them too. The company became Wimbledon’s official outfitter in 2006 and the Australian Open’s official outfitter in 2020. Those later partnerships do not change the answer for 2005.