A thief has been arrested for allegedly trying to steal an €8,000 Rolex from a tennis player in Marbella.

The suspect is accused of approaching the victim while he was playing at an unnamed club at 3.30pm on July 24.

According to police sources cited by Diario Sur, he told the victim he was a manager and that players were not permitted to wear watches on court, asking him to remove it.

Believing the man was legitimate, the player took off his Rolex and left it with his belongings.

However, the victim’s companion soon became suspicious and realised the man was not who he claimed to be.

The suspect then walked over to the luggage area, picked up the luxury watch and slipped it into his pocket.

Witnesses confronted him and managed to stop him, forcing the suspect to throw the Rolex onto the ground before he fled the scene on foot.

Outside the sports complex, he met up with an accomplice and the pair escaped in a waiting car.

It was then that Marbella’s Local Police received an emergency call and officers quickly spotted a vehicle on the A-7 motorway heading towards Malaga matching the description provided by witnesses.

The car was stopped and both occupants were arrested.

The pair were later handed over to the Policia Nacional, who launched the judicial proceedings.

They have been arrested on suspicion of attempted theft, while the victim recovered the Rolex unharmed.

Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.