Wimbledon Eyes Indian Market, Leverages Cricket Fever for Expansion

Wimbledon, one of the most prestigious tennis tournaments in the world, is strategically targeting India, a nation where cricket reigns supreme, to expand its global reach. The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), the organization behind Wimbledon, is actively exploring innovative ways to resonate with the Indian audience and capitalize on the crossover appeal between tennis and cricket.

The presence of Indian cricket stars like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Sachin Tendulkar, and Dinesh Karthik at Wimbledon has been a noticeable aspect of this strategy. The official Wimbledon Instagram account even featured a photo of Rohit Sharma which generated a record-breaking 4.5 million likes, underscoring the potential of this cross-sport collaboration.

Carlos Alcaraz of Spain serves during a practice session prior to The Championships Wimbledon 2025 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

According to Sally Bolton, Chief Executive of AELTC, India and the United States are key markets for expanding the Wimbledon brand. Brendan Dinen, Head of Marketing at Wimbledon, told TimesofIndia.com that they are seeking to collaborate with cricket, rather than compete.

"Cricket is much loved and certainly king for Indian audiences. So rather than trying to compete with that, I think it's about trying to find interesting ways to collaborate. Both sports are rich in heritage," said Dinen.

Wimbledon is implementing several strategies to connect with the Indian audience:

• Influencer Engagement: Teaming up with Indian social media influencers to provide behind-the-scenes experiences at both a Test match at Lord's and Wimbledon.
• Broadcast Partnerships: Collaborating with Star Sports to create a tennis-cricket crossover trailer during the Indian Premier League (IPL).
• Theatrical Screenings: Partnering with PVR INOX to showcase Wimbledon finals in theaters, circumventing challenges posed by the monsoon season.
• Royal Box Invitations: Extending invitations to Indian cricket icons like Kohli and Tendulkar to attend matches in the Royal Box, leveraging their extensive social media reach.

Wimbledon recognizes the importance of engaging younger audiences in India.

"Younger audiences and audiences of the future are crucial to us," Dinen explained. "Ensuring that we can have the content and different parts of the Championships, with tennis at the centre of that approach - whether that's through social media platforms or working with influencers and content creators - to be able to engage those audiences."

Despite its storied history, Wimbledon is embracing technology to enhance the fan experience. This includes the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on its app and website, in partnership with IBM. The 'Match Chat' assistant provides real-time answers to fan questions and offers match analysis.

The AELTC remains committed to blending tradition with innovation as it seeks to grow its presence in key international markets, including India.