From Hawk-Eye to AI, Wimbledon traditionalists have spent 20 years railing against the introduction of computer technology on the hallowed turf. But now the oldest grand slam in tennis is experimenting with hosting a whole tournament in a virtual world.
The 147-year-old championship is holding its first esports competition in an attempt to build a fanbase among young people.
It has also been partnering with influencers to advertise its merchandise and produce content across SW19 to help build its social media presence and win over the next generation. And its new strawberry-themed merchandise is understood to target a younger market.
“Our objective is to be at the pinnacle of sport and to be able to broaden the tennis audience, and you can’t do that by just retaining your current audience … We do try and acquire younger audiences,” said Usama Al-Qassab, the marketing and commercial director at the All England Club.
Wimbledon’s “eChamps” will be the first tennis esports tournament hosted on the video game TopSpin 2K25. Qualifying rounds began this month and players aged 18 and over across Europe and the US can participate in ranked regional matches, which will conclude with in-person finals at Wimbledon on 12 September.
The champion will win a gold-plated PS5 that is etched with their name by Wimbledon’s official engraver.
Qassab said Wimbledon was also trying to appeal to even younger audiences with its animated YouTube series Blade & Bounce, aimed at under-fives, and its immersive 3D game WimbleWorld on Roblox, a gaming platform that is popular with school-age children.
“Every day Roblox has more messages sent on it around the world than all WhatsApps put together. Last year WimbleWorld on Roblox engaged more youngsters in two weeks than the Fifa World Cup managed to in two months, and football is the opiate of the masses,” Qassab said.
“We’re really proud of what we’re doing in this space. It allows us to acquire new and different audiences into tennis to engage with Wimbledon, and then hopefully go on to visit us or watch on TV.”
Younger people watch less live sports than older generations, according to a YouGov report released last year. Just 31% of global sports fans aged 18 to 24 and 36% aged 25 to 34 watched live matches on TV, compared with 75% of those 55 and over.
Qassab said “an unparalleled” number of UK and overseas fans still wanted to visit SW19 despite increasing competition from other sports.
“Geographical expansion is very important for us,” he said. “These marketplaces are very large, there are opportunities for us to engage them in tennis, it’s an opportunity to get them to watch more, and I believe that that’s part and parcel of why more people from the US are wanting to enter the ballot than ever before and come to Wimbledon.”
To capitalise on the trend, the club has been working with foreign influencers, including from India and the US, such as 26-year-old Morgan Riddle, the girlfriend of Taylor Fritz, the world No 12. Qassab said the engagement through platforms such as Instagram had doubled year on year and the club could get more than a million likes for a single post.
He said Wimbledon’s retail sales were “absolutely flying” with “well over double-digit growth” compared with last year. He said the club’s white cross-racket sweatshirt was the most popular item and its new strawberry-themed sweatshirt was second. “Part of it is down to the range, and part of it is actually promoting it and using influencers,” he added.
