Viewpoint: How to keep tennis relevant

How to engage fans as the ultimate personalities of tennis are leaving

As the legends of tennis – Federer, Serena, Nadal and Djokovic – fade from the main stage, the sport faces a pivotal challenge: how to keep fans captivated when the familiar icons are no longer the headliners. For years, these personalities haven’t just dominated the courts – they’ve shaped the very identity of tennis itself. Their departure marks the end of a golden era, but also the beginning of a new, uncertain chapter.

In this landscape, tournaments must do more than fill seats; they must reimagine the fan experience to maintain tennis’s premium allure. From preserving the exclusivity of world-class events to reaching local audiences with global ambition, the game is being called to reinvent its relationship with its followers. And in a world where traditional advertising is increasingly ignorable, how do you make people feel something when your biggest personalities are gone?

In this piece we hear from industry experts who explore how the sport can evolve to keep fans engaged, events prestigious and create new stories just as thrilling as the ones we’ve loved before.

Flora Joll, Strategy Director at JOAN London

Despite their retirement, the Williams sisters still have a huge impact on sport. Keeping the key players that had a relevant tone of voice and perspective will continue to keep it relevant, even when they’re not on the court. Media outlets thinking about who is commentating is a key way to still get them to drive the sport.

ESPN’s coverage of the ladies’ singles final attracted just over 2 million viewers, a 40 per cent increase from 2023, whilst the gentlemen’s singles final had a peak audience of 3.2 million. The BBC’s coverage of Wimbledon was streamed 50.2 million times on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport online.

Influencer and social content swamped our feeds with Glasto last weekend, and the same can be done for events like Wimbledon. Wimbledon’s own social feed acts like a great behind the scenes and secret access platform.

Sam Ashken, Senior Strategy Director at Interbrand

Wimbledon is a unique event and one of the UK’s most famous brands. But if the goal is to grow tennis, then it’s not enough.

Amateurs and club players will attest to the challenges of finding a vacant court during the two week “Wimbledon rush”… a challenge which largely disappears once Wimbledon has passed.

In recent years more Brits have been picking up a racket. From 2019-2023 LTA data shows the number of adults playing at least once a year grew by 44%. It’s got easier to play thanks to refurbished courts, improved booking apps and initiatives like the Barclays Free Park Tennis sessions.

But scratch a bit deeper and the picture’s less rosy: the number of adults playing twice a month or more Sport England data shows has only grown by 2% since 2015. The racket sport which is growing fast in the UK isn’t tennis, it’s padel.

Turning tennis into a play-more-than-a-once-year sport, will mean inspiring and enabling more players. Inspiration is about how tennis shows up as a spectator sport, both live and in the media. And creating opportunities for more players to into structured formats like clubs and leagues. An annual knock around is better than nothing. But it’s not a basis for growing enduring participation in the sport.

Harri Narhi, UX Designer at Imagination

The Wimbledon Queue isn’t just a line; it’s a quintessential British summer experience. As the championships kick off, “The Q” transforms into a vibrant, temporary community. Fans camp out, share stories and soak up the unique atmosphere, all anticipating tennis history.

This organic transformation from mundane wait to memorable event offers a fascinating case study for brands. With 10,000 reportedly queuing on day one, how did Wimbledon achieve this? By embracing the inevitable. Instead of viewing the queue as a problem, Wimbledon has allowed its unique character to flourish.

Brands have wisely tapped into this pre-match buzz. In 2023, Evian provided refreshing water stations and cooling mist zones, a simple yet effective way to offer comfort and enhance the waiting experience. In 2024, American Express offered cardholders free radios to listen to commentary while they waited. Also in 2024, Vodafone offered customers a space to charge phones, take photos in a 360° VR photobooth and compete to win tickets to next year’s event.

These activations don’t just sell products; they become part of the shared memory of the Wimbledon experience, proving that even the “boring” bits of an event can be ripe for brand engagement and genuine connection.