Victoria Mboko signs with Rolex: "What you do on court ... gets you stuff off the court"

Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko is experiencing a series of firsts at this year's Australian Open. She's through to the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time, where she'll contest her first match against a World No. 1 against two-time tournament champion Aryna Sabalenka—presumably, on Rod Laver Arena, another first.

But the 2025 WTA Newcomer of the Year, who announced herself on the big stage last summer with a run to the WTA 1000 title on home soil, isn't just check more boxes off her tennis resume in Melbourne. She's also adding to her growing off-court endorsement portfolio.

Earlier this week, Mboko announced a new partnership with luxury watch brand Rolex, joining the brands storied history in tennis.

"Proud to stand among the legends and carry the legacy forward," she wrote on social media announcing the deal.

Read more: Victoria Mboko: 'Legacy in motion' captured in Rolling Stone Africa cover story

Mboko's Rolex deal adds her name to a storied list of tennis legends, past and present, and puts her in an exclusive club currently also occupied by major champions including Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Coco Gauff, and Iga Swiatek.

Nonetheless, the teenager says she's trying to keep her firmly on the ground during her surge up the WTA rankings.

Read more: Beach-inspired glitz and Gucci news: How Aryna Sabalenka is serving up style at the Australian Open

"It's a great thing to be a part of. It's a family," she said after defeating Clara Tauson in a dramatic third-round match on Friday.

"Being a part of something so big, associated with something like that ... I don't really put more pressure on myself just because something comes. I'm still the same person.

"I just like to focus on things on the court, you know? It's what you do on court that kind of gets you stuff off the court. So as long as I'm invested in what I'm doing on the court, invested in matches and training, then everything else comes after."

Against Sabalenka, the heavy hitter says she's looking forward to "just show what I got." But she's not talking about watches.