Wimbledon says no to influencers. Or, rather: it says no to the idea that a tennis tournament should turn into a TikTok set. Starting in 2027, the All England Club will not introduce a separate accreditation category for influencers and content creators. And anyone arriving at the Championships with equipment deemed potentially disruptive—such as the infamous ring lights—may have it confiscated at the entrance. The decision comes in the wake of what happened at the recent U.S. Open, where approximately 100 creators were accredited to cover the tournament on social media—nearly double the number from the previous year. This strategy was designed to bring tennis to a younger audience and expand its digital reach, but in some cases it had the opposite effect: noise during points, photos and videos taken from the sidelines, lights left on during play, and even a match featuring Naomi Osaka that was interrupted by the behavior of some spectators.
However, this is not simply a war on influencers. After the match, Naomi Osaka urged those in the stands to “respect the sport” and to familiarize themselves with its rules and etiquette. Coco Gauff also emphasized the need to educate new spectators on tennis culture. And perhaps Wimbledon, in this sense, is simply defending what makes it Wimbledon. Because there’s a difference between covering an event and acting as if the event exists solely to produce your own content. The problem isn’t taking a photo—or even being an influencer. The problem arises when the need to capture the perfect clip, the perfect lighting, or the perfect moment for Instagram becomes more important than what’s happening on the court. Tennis, after all, needs new spectators, but perhaps it doesn’t need every spectator to automatically become the star of the show.
What if, for once, a major event decided that the content could wait, but the game couldn’t? Maybe that’s not such a bad idea. Respect comes first.
[📷 IPA]
