Wimbledon tennis has announced Vodafone as the official connectivity partner of The Championships and The All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club.
The collaboration sees the telecommunications company use 5G to ‘help enhance the Wimbledon experience’ for fans, as it uses the latest in Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, 360, haptic and IoT technology in a bid to make them feel more involved in the game.
Vodafone is also working with the AELTC and the LTA to develop a new competition for grassroots players.
Gus Henderson, Commercial Director of the AELTC, commented: “We are thrilled to welcome Vodafone as the official connectivity partner of The Championships. We are looking forward to seeing how Vodafone will create unique experiences to bring our fans even closer to the action at Wimbledon this summer.
“It is also very exciting to have a partner who shares our aim of promoting tennis to an even wider audience.”
Vodafone will work with British tennis players Tim Henman and Laura Robson to support the partnership, as they utilise their experience playing at the highest level in a bid to inspire people to reconnect with the sport.
Max Taylor, Vodafone Consumer Director, noted: “There is a huge buzz around British tennis and Wimbledon is set once again to be a high point of the summer. We want to build on this momentum long-term by helping people get involved in the sport.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for us to use our connectivity to deliver a world-class experience for fans both on and off the court. We can’t wait to get involved.”
The announcement builds on Vodafone’s role as a lead partner for the British & Irish Lions for its South Africa 2021 Tour.
Laura Robson, former British Number One and Wimbledon Junior champion, concluded: “British tennis is going from strength to strength right now, and it’s so exciting to see where we could end up. I’m delighted to be teaming up with Vodafone to help encourage as many people as possible to pick up a racket.”
