Wimbledon, 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 to 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.
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.
